Vindaloo

Vindaloo is not ‘vindaloo.’ Or, rather vindaloo is not the mouth (and arse) burning derivative of a marsala sauce that sits at the top of the chilli curve that goes marsala – jalfrezi – madras – vindaloo, where by each sauce is identical to tne next, comes with any protein you care to choose and is differentiated only by the amount of chilli the chef has added to it.

Vindaloo is from Goa. Goa was a Portuguese colony. So, ‘vin‘ is wine or vinegar, and ‘aloo‘ or ‘d’alhos‘ is garlic – both of which feature prominently in the cuisine of Portugal. The mother dish is likely carne de vinha d’alhos, adapted to Indian cooking techniques and ingredients when it reached the western coast of the subcontinent. The wine itself often took some time to reach Goa from the Portuguese ports, and was a bit vinegary on arrival. This is why it is completely OK to swap the wine of the mother dish for vinegar in the Goan dish.

As for the protein, this is not chicken, beef, prawn or all three as a ‘special.’ Vindaloo is traditionally made with pork. Some variations use duck to cope with the religious needs of Hindus living in the Goan area.

The recipe we have here is a synthesis of two Madhur Jaffrey recipes combined with the techniques taught to me by Atul Kochhar. The result is a very decent Goan vindaloo.

Print Recipe

Vindaloo

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

By Nigel Eastmond – Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 1h 15 mins

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp groundnut oil
• 600g boned pork shoulder, skin removed, diced
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 10 curry leaves
• Sea salt
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp fenugreek
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 250 ml apple cider vinegar
• 100ml water

Instructions

1

In a large, wide-based pan, heat the oil. Fry the pork in batches until browned, removing to a bowl as you go. Pour off any liquid over the resting pork.

2

Heat a little more oil and add the whole spices. Cook them until they start to crackle. Immediately add the onions, the curry leaves, and a large pinch of salt, and cook on low until the onions are soft and browned (could take 30 mins).

3

Stir in the ginger, garlic, and garlic pastes and cook for about a minute.

4

Add the tomatoes, reserved pork and its liquor, vinegar and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 45 mins until the pork is tender.

5

Remove the lid and increase the heat to reduce the sauce to about half its volume. Serve with steamed rice.