The word sunga means a hollow cylinder in Assamese  , and the hollow cavity of the bamboo stem in this post . This article is about how we can cook juicy pork stew  in bamboo tubes – sunga pork !!

Picture courtesy : Buddha Saikia

They call me ” The Pork King ” , they don’t know how much I enjoy it . ~ Robert C. Byrd

Ingredients :

1. One kg pork without bones cut into medium-sized cubes ( preferably belly ) .
2. About 50 grams each of fresh ginger and garlic .
3. One large onions .
4. Two ripe tomatoes .
5. Green chilies according to taste .
6. Salt and black pepper .
7. Little mustard oil .
8. Three bamboo stems of edible type ( about 1.5 to 2 feet length , with a node ) .

 Procedure :

Wash the pork properly and boil it in a pressure cooker ( three – four whistles) with half a teaspoon of salt . Then release the pressure and drain the water .

Meanwhile make a paste of the coriander leaves , ginger , garlic , tomato , onions and chillies in a grinder.  Mix this paste with the pork and add salt and black pepper according to your taste  .  Add little bit of mustard oil and then mix everything properly so that the meat is evenly coated with the paste . Let this marinated pork stand for about two to three hours .

Then put the pork in the hollow bamboo stem  , upto about 2/3 rd of the capacity . Then add about half a cup of water to it . Cover it with a tender banana leaf tied with a sting or straw to seal the contents inside .

In the meantime start your charcoal / coal / wood fire ( make sure that there aren’t  much flames or else the bamboo might catch fire )  . Keep the sungas on a raised platform or grill so that the bamboo is not in physical contact with the burning coals .  Also make sure that they do not roll over and spill the contents .

Keep them in the heat of the burning coals for about an hour , occasionally rotating to heat them evenly from all sides . After that let the sunga pork cool for about fifteen minutes before serving . Garnish with fresh herbs , lemon and chillies , and serve this succulent sunga pork while it is still warm .

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