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1
Bloom the Cumin Seeds & Aromatics
6 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the 30 g of oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, turn the heat down slightly and let them cook for about 3 minutes, stirring now and then, until they darken a shade and smell warm and nutty. Add the remaining half of the sliced onion, the scallions, the smashed garlic, the cilantro, the parsley and the diced pimento peppers, and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring, until the onion softens and the pan smells of herbs and garlic.
Watch the cumin seeds closely: they go from fragrant to burnt in seconds, and burnt cumin tastes bitter. If they darken too fast, lift the pan off the heat for a moment.
Done when: The cumin seeds are a shade darker and fragrant, and the onion is soft and translucent.
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2
Add the Pork & Cook in Its Own Juices
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Turn the heat up to medium-high and tip in all the marinated pork, scraping every bit of marinade from the bowl into the pan. Stir well so every cube is coated with the hot oil and aromatics. Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes: the pork will first release its own juices, then the liquid will bubble away and the oil will start to show at the edges of the pan.
Do not add water yet. This dry first cook is what browns the pork and builds the flavour; the juices the meat releases are enough liquid for this stage.
Done when: The pork has given up its juices and the liquid has mostly cooked away, with oil visible around the edges and the cubes starting to brown.
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3
Simmer Until Fork-Tender
35 Mins
Gentle simmer at about 95°C (203°F)
Pour in the 300 ml of water, stir, and bring the pan to a boil. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and cook for 35 minutes, stirring once or twice so nothing sticks. The pork should be fork-tender by the end: a cube pressed with a fork should yield easily, and the meat should be cooked right through to at least 71°C (160°F) at the centre.
If the pan looks dry before the pork is tender, add water a splash at a time; if it looks too wet near the end, take the lid off for the last 10 minutes so the sauce can reduce.
Done when: A pork cube is fork-tender all the way through, and the liquid in the pan has reduced to a thin, dark gravy.
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4
Finish with Roasted Geera
4 Mins
Medium-low heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Take the lid off, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until almost all the liquid has gone and the pork is coated in a dark, dry, fragrant glaze. Turn the heat down to medium-low, sprinkle the roasted ground cumin evenly over the pork and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more so the spice toasts onto the meat without burning. Taste and add a pinch more salt if it needs it.
This last step makes the dish: the roasted geera must go in at the very end, when the pan is nearly dry, so it coats the pork instead of dissolving into sauce. If you add it too early it turns bitter.
Done when: The pork is dark brown, dry-ish and evenly coated in cumin, with no liquid pooling in the pan.
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5
Rest & Serve Hot
5 Mins
Serve hot, above 63°C (145°F)
Take the pan off the heat and let the pork rest for 5 minutes so the spice coating sets and the juices settle. Serve hot, piled on a plate with toothpicks for picking up the pieces, or as a main with steamed rice, dhal or roti on the side.
Geera pork is at its best straight from the pan, while the cumin is still fragrant; it dries out if it sits too long, so serve it as soon as it has rested.
Done when: The pork is steaming, the cumin coating smells warm and earthy, and the pieces hold their shape when picked up.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the geera pork piled on a plate with toothpicks, still hot, with rice or roti and a cold drink on the side — the way it is eaten at a Trinidad lime.
Trinidad and Tobago
1h 35m
France
Vietnam