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1
Cut and Marinate the Pork
25 Mins • 20 Min Marinating
No heat
Cut the pork into even 3 cm pieces. Mix the tomato paste, garlic, ginger, lime juice, paprika, chilli flakes, black pepper and salt into a paste, then toss the pork through it until every piece is coated. Cover and leave for at least 20 minutes so the spices soak in.
If you have time, marinate overnight in the fridge — the flavour goes deeper and the meat stays juicier.
Done when: Every pork piece is evenly coated in a deep-red spice paste.
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2
Slice the Onion and Tomato
5 Mins • Hands-On
No heat
Peel the onion and slice it thinly. Dice the tomatoes into small pieces and chop the coriander, keeping the garnish separate. Set everything beside the stove so the frying moves fast once the oil is hot.
Thin onion slices soften in minutes; thick wedges stay raw while the pork overcooks.
Done when: Onion sliced thin, tomato diced, coriander chopped and ready.
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3
Fry the Pork Crisp
12 Mins • Turning Often
Medium-high heat, oil about 175°C (350°F); pork to at least 71°C (160°F) inside
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until a piece of pork sizzles hard on contact. Fry the pork in two batches, in a single layer, for 5–6 minutes per side, turning once or twice. Do not crowd the pan or the pork steams instead of crisping. Lift the pieces onto a plate lined with paper towel and check the thickest piece with a thermometer: it must reach at least 71°C (160°F) inside.
Let the oil come back up to heat between batches — a second batch dropped into cooling oil turns greasy.
Done when: Deep golden-brown pieces with crisp edges; centre at least 71°C (160°F), juices running clear.
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4
Build the Onion-Tomato Sauce
6 Mins • Medium Heat
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Tip out most of the oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Fry the onion for 2 minutes until soft and sweet, then add the tomato and cook for 3 minutes until it breaks down into a loose sauce. Return the pork to the pan and toss for 1 minute so every piece is coated and heated through.
If the pan looks dry, add a spoonful of water — the sauce should coat the pork, not drown it.
Done when: Onion soft and sweet, tomato broken down, pork glossy and coated.
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5
Rest, Lime and Serve
2 Mins • Resting
No heat
Take the pan off the heat and rest the pork for 2 minutes. Scatter over the chopped coriander, squeeze over a little extra lime juice, and serve hot with lime wedges on the side.
The short rest lets the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out on the plate.
Done when: Pork rested, glistening with sauce, topped with green coriander and lime.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the akabenz hot, straight from the pan, with boiled rice or fried plantains and a crisp kachumbari salad. Eat the small pieces with your fingers, the Kigali bar way, with a cold drink alongside.
Rwanda
40m
France
Vietnam