Griddled pineapple, pork, crisp vegetable and coconut salad with curry dressing

Telegraph

17-07-2025

I love pork and pineapple together (takes me right back to the 1970s), and a salad is the best way to experience the combination without ordering a very unmodern pizza. The dressing is quite sour but it's a good foil to the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Ingredients
For the salad
¼ white cabbage, hard core removed
¼ small red cabbage, hard core removed
1 large red pepper, halved and deseeded
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on the diagonal
25g coriander, stalks and all
40g baby spinach leaves
juice of 1 lime, to serve
handful of toasted coconut flakes, to serve
For the dressing
¾ tbsp cider vinegar
juice of ½ lime
2 tsp soft light brown sugar
6 tbsp olive oil
1½ tsp curry paste (I use Patak's Medium Spice Paste)
4 tbsp coconut cream
For the pork
½ tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground allspice
4 thick-cut pork loin steaks, weighing about 175g each
For the pineapple
1 pineapple
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
groundnut or olive oil, for frying
Method
Step
To make the salad, finely slice ¼ white cabbage, ¼ small red cabbage (hard cores removed) and 1 large halved and deseeded red pepper, as you would for coleslaw.
Step
Put these into a bowl and add 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks with 6 trimmed and finely sliced spring onions.
Step
For the dressing, mix ¾ tbsp cider vinegar, juice of ½ lime, 2 tsp soft light brown sugar, 6 tbsp olive oil and 1½ tsp curry paste with some seasoning.
Step
Stir through the 4 tbsp coconut cream and taste. Set aside.
Step
For the spice rub for the pork, mix ½ tbsp ground cumin, 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp ground allspice together in a large, shallow bowl. Season.
Step
Cut the fat off 4 thick-cut pork loin steaks and dip into the spice mix, coating each side.
Step
Cut 1 pineapple horizontally into 6 slices (you'll have more than you need, but it seems silly not to buy a whole one).
Step
Remove the skin and halve each slice. Cut the hard core out. Alternatively cut the whole pineapple into wedges, with the core removed.
Step
Cook the pieces for about 2 minutes on each side, until they're caramelised in patches. Set the pineapple aside and wash the pan.
Step
Put some more oil in the pan – just enough to coat the base again – and cook the pork for around 3 minutes on each side, in batches if necessary.