Ojakhuri

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbporkneck or shoulder, cut into 2–4 cm cubes
• 1⅓ lbPotatoespeeled, cut into wedges or large chunks
• 3Onionsliced into half-rings or strips; part used raw or pickled at the end
• 4 clovesgarlicchopped or sliced
• 1 bunchcilantroroughly chopped, for sprinkling
• 4 tbspvegetable oilfor frying
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1Chili pepperfresh or ground, to taste (optional)
• saltto taste
• black pepperfreshly ground
• 1 tspPaprikafor seasoning the potatoes (optional)
• 1 tspDried thymecrumbled between the palms (optional)
• 5¼ ozCherry tomatoeswhole, briefly cooked with the dish (optional)
• 2 tbspvinegarfor pickling the raw onion rings (optional)

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges or large chunks. Pat the pork dry and cut it into cubes — small ones around 1.5 to 2 cm, or big ones of 3 to 4 cm, whichever you prefer.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the potatoes over medium-high heat until crisp on all sides. Lift them out and set aside.
3. In the same pan, sear the pork over high heat, resisting the urge to keep turning it so it takes on real color. Let any liquid that comes out cook away completely, until the meat is golden brown.
4. Season the pork with salt, black pepper and ground coriander; if you like heat, add the chili pepper now.
5. Set a portion of the onion strips aside raw for the finish. Add the remaining onions and the garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat until translucent — soft, but not browned.
6. Return the potatoes to the pan, fold everything together gently, cover and let it sit over low heat for a few minutes so the flavors come together.
7. Scatter with roughly chopped cilantro and the raw onion strips and serve at once, piping hot, straight from the pan for everyone at the table.

Tips and variations

Instead of frying the potatoes, you can season them with sweet paprika, ground coriander, dried thyme crumbled between your palms and chili, toss them with oil and bake them on a tray at 180–200 °C for about 45–50 minutes. If you want things softer and juicier, pour in a little hot water once everything is back in the pan and braise it covered over low heat for around 20 minutes, adding whole cherry tomatoes near the end. The raw onion strips gain a lot if you marinate them in table vinegar for 5–10 minutes before piling them on top. And if you own a clay ketsi pan, tip the finished dish into it and bring it to the table that way.