So I’m a little late with this week’s French Fridays with Dorie post. I guess I got a little lazy because the FFWD server was down for a few days… The recipe this week was a curry stew called Coconut-Lemongrass-Braised Pork.
Chunks of boneless pork butt are browned and added to a dutch oven. The browned meat is sauteed with spices including turmeric, curry powder, cardamom seeds, white peppercorns, and coriander seeds, as well as lemon zest and lemongrass. It is then braised in the oven in a mixture of coconut milk and water.
One great thing about this recipe is the vegetables are cooked separately from the meat and added at the end. This allows both the meat and veggies to be cooked perfectly without overcooking one or the other. I will use this technique with other recipes as well.
I really expected to love this recipe. While it was good, it didn’t “wow” us. The sauce seemed to be missing a little spark of flavor. It needs something to brighten it up, perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice at the end, or a sprinkling of cilantro? Or maybe served with a few garnishes like chutney or toasted coconut?
While we didn’t love this, I do think I will try it again. I really like the idea of it, and would love to try it with chicken.
From Scratch 
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, but maybe you’ll like the sauce better with the chicken. The colors in your photo are so pretty. I hope you had a great weekend, Karen!
For most part I thought the turmeric overpowered a lot of the other spice flavors. It is a delicate Frenchified curry; I guess our palates are spoiled by the flavorful Indian and Thai varieties.
I think you did a great job with the challenge, but I know it is frustrating to spend time on something and then not enjoy it. I sure the next challenge will be more to your liking. This is my first visit to your blog, so I’ve taken some time to browse through your earlier entries. I’m so glad I did that. You’ve created a wonderful spot for your readers to visit and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Glad you liked it well enough to tweak it to perfection. My hubby asked when I was going to quit FFwD, so I think that was a hint not to repeat this one….LOL.
I’d like to try it again. Next time I’ll add more veggies, too.
I think I agree with your assessment that this dish could have benefitted from an extra oomph. The Dude wanted to put Pete’s hot sauce on his… Maybe he was onto something? 🙂