Pan-fried Pork Chunks - Greek Pork Tigania

You might have seen Greek tigania in the menu of tavernas and restaurants when you’ve visited Greece. It’s quite a simple dish, full of flavor and aromas and can be served as a mezze dish with a drink and some french fries or as a main meal. Either way, it’s delicious and my family absolutely loves it. It’s fairly easy to make and you could also freeze it for busy days when you want something quick.

There are many versions of tigania, but the one we like the most has a bit of mustard, lemon juice and a bell pepper in it. I find that this combination makes the sauce taste better, especially if you serve it with some rice or you like to dip a slice of bread in the sauce. If you are looking for other Greek recipes with pork, I recommend you to try my oven baked pork skeweres, they are really tender and easy to make.

Why you should try my recipe

• A meaty, rich dish, great as a main or side dish.
• Easy to make and with just a few ingredients.
• Nice choice for little gatherings with friends.
• You could freeze any leftovers.

Ingredients & How-to

To make this hearty Greek pan-fried pork, you are going to need some pork meat, a bell pepper, garlic cloves, mustard, lemon, white wine, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.

I’m usually buying a big chunk of pork meat that is recommended for stews like pork shoulder. I cut it into small chunks about 2cm / 1in to cook faster. For full quantities check the recipe down below. So let’s get started!

01. I start with prepping the ingredients. I cut the pork into small chunks about 2cm / 1in thick. As for the vegetables, I cut the pepper into strips and coarsely cut the garlic cloves. Now we are ready to move to the stove.

02. I add the olive oil to a wide pan and turn on the heat to medium-high. I add the pork chunks and saute for 5-6 minutes turning them around every now and then until they get a nice brown color on all sides. To get a nice color you need to have high heat, don’t worry it gets a bit sticky at the bottom. It will just add more flavor to the tigania dish.

03. Now I add the chopped garlic cloves, the peppers and the wine in. I season with salt and some freshly ground pepper. I cover with a lid and leave it to simmer for 15 minutes.

04. I uncover and add the mustard, lemon juice and oregano. I continue cooking it for 30 minutes until the meat is tender, with a nice brown color and the sauce thickens.

Substitutions

• You could use mushrooms instead of peppers or both.
• Instead of oregano, you could use italian seasoning.

Tips

• Cut the pork chunks about the same size to be cooked evenly.
• Simmer the pork and cover with a lid to get tender and juicy.
• Make sure you brown the pork on high heat before adding the rest of the ingredients to get a nice crust.

Serving suggestions

This Greek pan-fried pork chunks dish is usually served as an appetizer or side dish in tavernas and restaurants. It’s a popular tapas choice, perfect for pairing with beer or wine, accompanied by a side of french fries and various mezedes. At home, we usually have tigania as a main with some rice and veggies or with french fries. Some delicious side dishes that we like to serve it with, especially when we have friends around, are

• A classic Greek salad, simple, easy and refreshing.
• A tzatziki dip, refreshing and tangy.
• Some pitta bread cut into triangles to dip in tzatziki or scoop the tigania chunks.
• My healthy baked potato wedges as a nice alternative to french fries.

Storage

If you have any leftovers of the pork tigania, you could store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. When you are ready to have it, warm it up thoroughly in the microwave or the stove for a few minutes. You could also freeze the pan-fried pork for up to 3 months if you have made a big batch and you have leftovers.

FAQ

• What cut of pork is good for frying? Pork cuts that are good for pan frying are pork shoulder or pork loin.

• Does pork tigania have pepper in it? There are many variations of the Greek tigania dish. In some recipes, like mine here, you will find a bell pepper cut into slices added to the pan fried pork. The pepper adds some flavor and body to the dish but it is optional.

• Is Greek pork tigania a meze dish? Usually, you will find the Greek pork tigania under the appetizers or mezze dishes when you go to a Greek restaurant. But you can enjoy it also as a main if you serve it with some french fries or rice on the side.