Ginger Pig's Cheeks
We love the melty, flavour concentrating wow of slow cooking at the FatSteak Club and this dish has that in spades, but with a curry spice twist. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure I’d like it when I first read it in Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food but boy will I make this again and again. I was looking for a recipe to use some pig’s cheeks (the original is for ox cheeks) but it works beautifully, the spiced lentils going with it ‘cheek by dhal’. Warning - this is a multi-day dish. Best started 2 days in advance, but overall really simple.
Step 1 - Cheeks
The cheeks are first marinated for 24 hours overnight in the fridge under a mixture of the stout, star anise, chilli flakes, ground ginger, and coriander and cumin seeds.
Preheat the oven to 140 C.
Remove the cheeks from the marinade and pat dry.
In an ovenproof pot, heat the oil over medium heat on the hob, and brown the cheeks on both sides. Remove the cheeks from the pan.
Add the onions and fry over low heat to soften before adding the ginger and garlic and fry for 5 minutes to a golden colour.
Put the cheeks back in the pot along with the marinade and the beef stock and bring to the boil. Put the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven for 3 to 4 hours.
At this point the cheeks should be super tender and can be served now. Ideally they should be cooled and left overnight in the fridge for the flavour to concentrate.
Top tip: I left mine a few hours and reheated to serve which worked very well and is ideal for a dinner party.
Step 2 - Dhal
Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Put the red lentils in a roasting tray and toast for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Gently fry the onions and garlic in a little vegetable oil in a large saucepan until softened.
Stir in the turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the toasted lentils and the cinnamon stick followed by the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes until a puree.
Add the lime juice and season.
Step 3 - Finishing the dish
Mix the watercress, yoghurt and black pepper.
Reheat the cheeks in their juices in the oven.
Serve on a mound of the dhal with a dressing of the watercress yoghurt, chopped onion and coriander.
Ingredients
4 pig’s cheeks
300ml stout (I used Guinness Milk Stout)
2 star anise
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp vegetable oil
90g fresh root ginger, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
500ml beef stock (to make fresh, see this recipe)
120g red lentils
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick
400 ml Chicken stock
Juice of one squeezed lime
Bunch of watercress finely chopped
150g plain yoghurt
1 Tsp cracked black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh coriander
