Pigging out

The Guide goes in search of the best pork dishes available in town and comes back with a report card

American poet Ogden Nash once said, "The pig, if I am not mistaken, gives us ham, pork and bacon. Let others think his heart is big, I think it is stupid of the pig."

We tend not to agree. We are eternally grateful for the pig's generosity, for no other meat tastes so distinct and delicious in all its forms. Karnataka is well known for its penchant for pork and the ways it's made.

Bangalore has no dearth of restaurants and small time eateries dishing up finger licking pork dishes. From Coorgi style spicy pork to European style chops to Chinese spare ribs or even barbeques, you will be spoilt for choice.
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We take you on a pork trail where you are strictly advised to leave behind any health or calorie-related hang-ups and instead get ready to face a gastronomical attack on your senses.

Korean Pork Barbeque at Soo Ra Sang

You don't need to break your head trying to figure out what exactly the menu at Soo Ra Sang, a Korean restaurant in town might be saying.
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Just go by the numbers attached to each dish or ask Yong, the proprietor who will tell you straight off to go for No 1 and possibly 2 if you a re a pork fiend.
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For no 1 & 2: Sam Gyup Sal and Deji Kal Bee are two signature styles of Korean pork barbeques available here. Traditional Korean style wooden seating with an open grill attached to the table is the best way to have this dish.

While you sit around, the helpful staff will grill Korean style fatty bacon marinaded in sauces along with whole garlic and finely sliced potatoes.

While the bacon grills in its own fat, you can dig into the traditional Korean starter Caon, a pancake made out of flour and mixed vegetables and a glass of green tea.

The barbeque is served with little bowls of condiments such as steamed beans, spinach and eggplant tossed with sesame, three kinds of Khimchi or fermented cabbage, soya bean and bean sprouts.
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When the bacon is grilled to almost a crisp, it's time to dip it into sesame oil mixed with salt and pepper, a soyabean and honey pickle and a spring onion-red chilli sauce.
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The bacon is charred yet springy and when dipped into the sesame oil tastes slightly burnt and nutty.

The soyabean and honey sauce is pickled and gives off a slightly fermented taste perfectly complimenting the charred bacon and makes for a deadly sweet and savoury combination.

The Khimchi adds that bite to the barbeque with its slightly pungent taste.
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If you are feeling particularly porky, then do try the red chilli pork fry (Je Yuk Bokkum), a fiery dish with shreds of pork cooked with loads of onions and red chilli paste and served on a sizzler plate.

At Soo Ra Sang, Wind Tunnel Road, off Old Airport Road
Call 4130 3435

Pandi Fry at Wild Spice

When you are looking for some soul food after a hard day's work, then just head to Wild Spice, a tiny, blink-and-you miss restaurant located on the busy Residency Road.

After putting your life on the road literally because of the dash that you have to make to cross through the madly rushing traffic, eating the Pandi (The Coorgi word for pork) fry becomes even more important at the end of this perilous journey.
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Forget the Pork dry and go straight for the fried spicy pork cooked in cumin, garlic, turmeric, red chilli and lots of green chillies with just the right amount of sauce.

The dish is almost black in colour thanks to the addition of the sour Kachampuli, a black vinegar made out of a wild fruit found in Coorg that goes by the same name.

The addition of the Kachampuli makes all the difference to this dish by making the pork tangy yet spicy and adds a rich dark colour to it.

When you fork in some of this heavenly pork along with rice flavoured with ghee, cardamom, cloves and sprinkled with cashewnuts, you will definitely be somewhere close to foodie heaven.
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The tangy flavours of the dish coupled with the small cubes of pork and fat come together beautifully with the ghee soaked rice.

At Wild Spice,1, FM Cariappa Bhavan, Residency Road
Call 98803 81009