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We cooked purslane pork in tomatillo sauce using the Instant Pot!
The purslane pork is a fall favorite in many Mexican households. This dish screams home-cooking at its best. Uses tomatillos, green chile de arbol, garlic, chicken stock, chicken bouillon, black pepper, cumin, Mexican oregano, pork loin, russet potatoes, and purslane.
What is purslane?
Are you a succulent lover? Then you will enjoy using purslane in your cooking as it is an edible succulent and a perennial that grows freely. Many farmers use purslane as animal feed. In Mexico, we use it to cook purslane pork and add it to salads as it can be eaten raw.
Raw purslane tastes lemony and somewhat salty. When cooked tastes like spinach. If you are an avid forager, look for the edible type as purslane is also confused with spurge, which is toxic and not for human or animal consumption. Edible purslane is also known as pigweed and little hogweed. Like spinach and kale, purslane is a good source of iron, potassium, and other minerals.
Pressure cooking is the preferred technique to cook purslane pork!
And the Instant Pot makes it easy to cook pork meat. The instant pressure cooking is so versatile. It allows cooking desserts, soups, yogurt, beans, and so much more.
The use of the instant pot makes the pork meat so tender that it melts in your mouth. Plus the flavor of the green tomatillo sauce intensifies with the perfect balance of spicy and smoky notes.
Tips for making the best purslane pork in tomatillo sauce using the Instant Pot
For the purslane pork, always opt for your favorite pork cut. My family prefers lean pork. Thus we used pork loin. But this dish turns out perfect with pork chops, fatty cuts, and pork shoulder too.
The purslane pork is best when pre-seasoning the meat. After cutting in cubes, we add some olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Then we sear in a stovetop grill and set aside. The searing in a separate skillet is optional, as the Instant Pot has a sautéing mode that works well too.
I like to save time in the kitchen. And since I use a lot of salsa verde many times I make big batches of tomatillo sauce and freeze for later use. For this sauce, we use fresh tomatillos, and green chile de arbol (it is less spicy than the red dried pods).
All the ingredients for the tomatillo sauce we prefer to roast first, and then I do a quick boil with some water. This process adds more flavor. If not finding fresh tomatillos replace with canned tomatillos.
Expert tip ~ Avoid tomatillo bitterness, making sure not to overcook the tomatillos. Typically those cook in less than 10 minutes at medium heat, and the tomatillos shouldn’t burst.
We recommend using classic condiments for the purslane pork stew, such as chicken bouillon, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and use homemade broth for best results.
Cleaning the purslane with running water is a must. Purslane grows on sandy places and can have debris. This ingredient is essential for the pork stew. However, it is difficult to come by, so a good replacement for the purslane is spinach. It has a similar taste, and it is green too.
The serving suggestion includes a side of Mexican white rice, black beans, and blue corn tortillas. Are you ready for an authentic purslane pork dish experience?
Purslane Pork in Tomatillo Sauce
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Strainer
- Chopping block
- Knife
- Blender
Ingredients
For the Purslane Pork Stew
- 1 pound pork loin cut into cubes
- 1 pound purslane clean
- 3 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
- 4 cups tomatillo salsa verde
- 1 cup chicken stock preferably homemade
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
For the Green Tomatillo Sauce
- 10 tomatillos cleaned
- 4 chile de arbol pods fresh peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
Instructions
- On the stovetop and using a pot and water, cook the tomatillos with the peppers for a few minutes on medium to low heat. For avoiding bitterness, do not overcook the tomatillos. Typically those cook in less than 10 minutes, and the tomatillos shouldn't burst.
- When the tomatillos are ready, blend with the garlic, the cooked peppers, the fresh cilantro, some of the cooking water or homemade chicken stock (not too much), and the chicken bouillon. Set aside.
- Season the pork meat with few drops of cooking oil, salt and pepper, and a pinch of cumin. This makes the pork meat more flavorful. Another option is to season with chicken bouillon before searing.
- In the Instant Pot, using the sauteing mode sear the pork meat with some cooking oil. I like to use a stovetop griller for searing. That method adds more flavor to the meat, but the IP is a good option too.
- Incorporate the tomatillo green sauce, the purslane, and the potatoes. Then season with chicken bouillon, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
- Cook the purslane pork on the Instant Pot for thirty minutes on high, with the valve on. Let the pressure cooking do a natural release before opening.
- Serve the pork stew with a side of white rice, black beans, and blue corn tortillas.
Video
Notes
- For the purslane pork, always opt for your favorite pork cut. My family prefers lean pork. Thus we used pork loin. But this dish turns out perfect with pork chops, fatty cuts, and pork shoulder too.
- Avoid tomatillo bitterness, making sure not to overcook the tomatillos. Typically those cook in less than 10 minutes at medium heat, and the tomatillos shouldn’t burst.
- Cleaning the purslane with running water is a must. Purslane grows on sandy places and can have debris.
- A good replacement for the purslane is spinach. It has a similar taste, and it is green too.
Nutrition
Have you tried the purslane pork stew recipe? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram and or Facebook using the handle @adrianasbestrecipes and this hashtag #ABRecipes Happy Eats!
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