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Phaksha Paa

Name: Phaksha Paa
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Bhutan
Ingredients: 250g Pork belly; 1/2 Daikon radish; 3 Dried red chilies; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 knob Ginger; 1 tbsp Butter; 1 tsp Salt; 300ml Water

Main Dish

⏱ 35 min

👥 Serves 2

Difficulty ⭐⭐

Pork and radish simmered with chili — a Bhutanese home dish approachable even to unfamiliar palates.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

"Pak" means pork, "sha" means meat, and "paa" means a chunk or piece — this is a representative home dish made in nearly every household. While it does use chili, it's far gentler than ema datshi, with the radish's natural sweetness and the richness of the pork fat coming together in a relatively mild, comforting flavor. Rehydrating dried chilies before using them is the traditional method.

🌆 Where it's eaten: A dish that often appears when guests are being entertained too — a family gathers around a pot where radish has simmered down soft and tender, alongside a mound of red rice.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 2)

Pork belly 250g
Daikon radish 1/2
Dried red chilies 3
Garlic 2 cloves
Ginger 1 knob
Butter 1 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Water 300ml

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Cut the pork belly into large bite-sized pieces. Peel the daikon and cut into rough chunks.
Soak the dried chilies in lukewarm water to soften, then roughly chop. Mince the garlic and ginger.
Heat butter in a pot and sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant.
Add the pork and cook until the surface browns.
Add the daikon, chilies, water, and salt; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Once the daikon is tender and the liquid has reduced slightly, it's done.

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