This Mangalorean Pork Bafat is a celebration of rich flavours and beloved throughout Mangalore, Goa and everywhere I have travelled. The rich wobbly diced pork belly is simmered in a spicy, aromatic and bafat powder-based curry, perfect for serving alongside rice or white bread.

Some of my best childhood memories are of my mum and grandmother, Alice Coelho, preparing this flavourful Mangalorean Pork Bafat during Christmas or Easter.

This is a reader-favourite recipe in my one and only published cookbook “Deliciously Indian“, reviewed on Amazon.

Pork Bafat aka Dukra Maas is a spicy pork stew prepared with a signature spice mix called ‘Bafat Powder”. It is one of the most popular pork dishes cooked in Mangalorean and Goan Catholic homes in India and globally.

In Mangalore, this Pork Stew has many names and we Mangys cannot have enough of this Pork Bafat. You ask a Mangy man what is Pork Bafat and his eyes will light up and he will say, it’s my most favourite pork dish.

Pork Bafat | Baffat | Bapad | Bafad | Dukra Maas is a staple pork dish for New Year, Easter, Christmas, weddings, Roce ceremonies (Mangalorean pre-wedding ceremony). We, at Deliciously Indian, love it so much that we could potentially have it once a week!!!

Traditionally, Bafat is prepared only with pork however, the Mangalorean Catholics on the west coast of India make Bafat with eggs, chicken, beef, seafood and for a yummy vegetarian meal, even with vegetables. The ingredients and methods, of course, vary from dish to dish.

So, what is Bafat Powder?

Bafat Powder is a must-have signature spice mix made with a combination of many whole spices that is ground into a powder. It is typically used to cook a traditional Mangalorean/Goan pork stew called as “Pork Bafat” or as we call in Mangalore “Dukra Maas”.

Bafat Powder can be easily adapted to cook chicken, beef, tripe, fish, eggs and also vegetable curries.

You could use any bafat powder to prepare this Mangalorean Pork Bafat. In this recipe, I have used Savitha Bafat Masala that an overseas visitor had so kindly brought me some packets when she came to visit me. Thank you, Gretta. Much appreciate your gift of Bafat Masala.

The image above clearly demonstrates that Bafat Powder is a unique spice blend that is reddish orange in colour. There are many whole spices that go into making this versatile spice powder in varying ratios.

• Dried Kashmiri chillies – are used for their vibrant red colour and mild heat.

• Kumti chillies – are used to add heat.

• Whole coriander and cumin seeds – for their earthy flavours.

• Aromatics – cinnamon sticks and cloves for their unique sweet savoury aroma.

• Black pepper corns and black mustard seeds – add a touch of overall heat and black mustard seeds for their spicy, wasabi-like taste, which perfectly complements with Pork Bafat (not all households add mustard seeds).

• Ground turmeric – with its earthy taste, a dash of ground turmeric also balances the vibrant red colour of Kashmiri chillies resulting in a dish with beautiful golden and red hues.

My mother made her own version of this Bafat Powder from scratch each time she made Pork Bafat because back in the day, we could not buy Bafat Powder. It had to be made at home and there is no one single Bafat Powder recipe, as each household in Mangalore/Goa have their own favourite and perfected version.

Each version while slightly different from the other, yields a similar final dish with different hues of red or brown depending on the colour of the chillies and the colour of the tamarind used.

An image of the Mangalorean Pork Bafat using Savitha Bafat Masala. Just stunning hues of red!!

Many Mangalorean/Goan homes have store bought Bafat Powder in their pantry which they use to make Pork Bafat. Here in Sydney Bafat Powder is rare, as it is not sold in Indian grocery stores.

When friends return from India, they bring their annual supply of Bafat Powder and usually gift a packet between each other. We love this unique gift. Of course, Bafat Powder can be bought online, but it does take time and sometimes not as fresh when received.

So, if any of your friends ask you, what can I get for you from India, your quick response should be “a small pack of bafat powder please”!!

There are many recipes online for Bafat Powder. If you are keen to make your own bafat powder at home, just by way of information, I have a good Bafat Powder recipe in my one and only cookbook Deliciously Indian, available on Amazon.

Pork Bafat is made with chunks of pork (I use pork belly with a thin layer of fat and minimum marble in the flesh) that is slow cooked on stovetop using a signature spice blend called ‘Bafat Powder Masala’.

Trimming fat in between layers helps keep this pork bafat less fatty. If you are not a fan of this cut, then you may use your favourite leaner cuts of pork, bearing in mind that you need to be careful about overcooking.

Although much of the heat for this curry comes from bafat powder and Kashmiri chilli powder, I use onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies, vinegar and a touch of sugar to pep up the base of this pork bafat curry.

Further, I also like to add a dash of soy sauce for a slight touch of umami, although adding soy sauce is not traditional for a Mangalorean Pork Bafat Curry.

Each of the ingredients and their quantities is intentional. If you have any questions about the ingredients, please feel free to ask in the comments.

Pork belly is traditionally a fatty cut with three layers and here are some helpful notes on how to cut pork belly. The layers are:

1. The outside skin

2. A thick layer of fat

3. A lower portion of red-pink meat

Let me walk you through what you need to make this amazing traditional Mangalorean Pork Bafat with my slight twist of umami.

Here’s what goes into making Mangalorean Pork Bafat:

• The pork – Boneless pork belly is an economical cut that is best slow cooked until tender. It is especially tasty with all the Mangalorean flavourings. In Sydney, Woolworths pork belly is sold scored in a block/slab and I use this scoring as a guide to slice into 1.5cm – 2cm slices, then cut into bite size chunks myself (see video below, if in doubt). Find at: all major supermarkets like Woolworths, Coles, Harris Farm and Aldi. Also stocked by Asian butchers. Try to choose a slab that has thin outside skin layer and a thin layer of fat in between the pink-red meat and the outside skin layer.

• Tamarind pulp – Balances the richness of pork and the spices used, while adding a sweet and sour taste. The acidity for this dish comes from a combo of tamarind pulp/juice and the vinegar used. Find at: All Indian grocery stores or check out Coles for tamarind paste in their Indian shelf as they stock a lot of Indian pantry staples these days. Use tamarind paste as per taste, if in doubt, start with a teaspoon.

• Bafat powder – A key ingredient for adding heat, flavour and the signature orange red colour. It’s a pity bafat powder cannot be purchased in Indian grocery stores in Sydney. Find at: Amazon.com and Amazon.in Substitute: Unfortunately, there is no direct sub for this spice blend although, there are many recipes online for making Bafat Powder and also for preparing Pork Bafat from scratch with homemade bafat spice paste.

• Kashmiri chilli powder – Indian chillies that are mildly hot and smoky flavoured. A combination of bafat powder and Kashmiri chilli powder gives this dish the right punch, colour and flavour which is exactly what we want!

• Garam masala powder – A small quantity goes a long way to add a little extra flavour to the final dish.

• Tomato (optional) – A quarter of a small tomato minced works to thicken the curry slightly, while adding slight sweetness and colour. Less is more and do not add the full tomato as it will ruin this pork bafat.

• Ginger, garlic & green chillies – Freshly minced ginger, garlic is sliced (it’s the traditional way but feel free to mince). Green chillies are slit into two (feel free to deseed all or some green chillies, if required).

• Onions – Diced intentionally and added in two stages – half during marination and half in the last 3 minutes of cooking. Onions form the base of the curry and add flavour in two stages, whilst also adding a good crunch to the final dish.

• Vinegar – White vinegar for a sharp taste, which best suits this recipe. The recipe calls for 80mL but increase or decrease as per taste.

Don’t like white vinegar? Sub with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, for a more rounded taste.

• Potatoes (optional) – Bulks up the dish. Skip, if desired.

• Soy sauce (my twist) – Use all-purpose soy sauce for a touch of umami. I add 1 tbsp. (15ml) of Kikkoman soy sauce. Do not add any more as it will be overpowering, which is a big no no for pork bafat!!!

• Indian cinnamon leaves (tej patta) – Fresh (if available) for a slight cinnamon-like, wasabi-like, spicy flavour and really enhance the flavour of this stew. Find at: Indian grocery stores (dried) sold as bay leaves in 100g packs. I add them more so as a formality rather than for its flavour! I really don’t think the dried Indian bay leaves do much by way of flavour or taste!!!!

• Cinnamon sticks (optional, I do) – for a bit of extra flavour. Garam masala powder also gives sweet savoury flavour, so, you may skip if you like.

• Sugar – Just a teaspoon to balance out the sharp taste of vinegar and to bring up flavours.