K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
The tamarind can be optional. Actually, a few things can. There are many ways to make vindaloo, many variations. Some cooks include tamarind, some don’t (I often do but not always); some use tomato, some don’t (I use some sometimes but not a lot; it depends on whether I’m using ripe or green chilies and if I have ripe tomato at hand). Many if not most recipes call for marinating the meat but at least a few Indian cooks (and me) don’t bother. (It’s a braise after all--marinating is pointless unless one is using lean meat that will be cooked much more briefly.) Non-marinators tend toward cooking everything in the pot together (after browning the onions) but I prefer to brown the meat first to develop flavor, remove it, the move on to the onions.
Potatoes are a common addition to vindaloo, especially in restaurants and especially with lamb, but they’re optional (and not traditional). Mostly I don’t use them unless I have some that need to be cooked or if, like in restaurants, I’m needing to stretch the meat. Since you should serve with basmati, an additional starch isn’t necessary. I do like them though.
Vindaloo can be finished very smoothly (save for the meat/potatoes of course) or can be textured. I like it both ways.
I much prefer vindaloos made with fattier cuts of meat so the braise can be longer. For pork or lamb use shoulder (choose butt over picnic if doing pork). For beef I much prefer top blade, chuck eye or tri-tip over stringier chuck cuts. If using goat use shoulder but note that some goat shoulder is lean. Consider the marinating option if the goat you have--or the lamb shoulder--is on the lean side.
The dish is Portuguese in origin and one easily sees the influences. Though red wine vinegar was part of the original (the Portuguese brought pork preserved in red wine vin to Goa), I mostly use palm or coconut vin as those were more readily available when Indian cooks started making the recipe their own by adding their own local spices and switching the meat (for non-pork eaters and/or to make use of local meats). Red or white wine vinegar works (avoid balsamic or distilled), as does cider vin, pineapple vin, or the two I’ve noted.
Vindaloos can be made more or less spicy/hot but it is hard to convey spice and heat levels. Best if you read the ingredients and procedure, make adjustments as you see fit or, better perhaps, make it once as written and make adjustments to future cooks. As written though, it’s not for the spice-timid or heat-shy.
The recipe looks lengthy because of the notes/option included. Read it over and you’ll see it is pretty straightforward.
Vindaloo
2.5 lbs (or so) meat, as noted above, trimmed as needed and cut into 1.5-inch cubes (resist the urge to make ‘bite-size’)
3-5 onions (about 1.75 lbs, give or take), peeled and finely chopped
1 whole small head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled, finely minced or pressed, divided
1 1.5-inch piece of ginger, grated or very finely minced, divided
1 large or 2 smaller ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded and chopped, optional (I often just skip if I don’t have any. You can used canned but if you do then used canned diced tomatoes, drained, and then processed to a purée. Do not use canned purée. )
neutral oil, ghee, melted lard or a combination
5-8 jalapeños, preferably ripe ones, stemmed and seeded, but use unripe if that’s all that’s available, chopped
2-6 small dried red chilies, seeded, reconstituted in hot water till softened
2 t tamarind concentrate, optional
3 T (if using the tamarind) or 1/4 c (if not) vinegar (as noted above)
1 t palm sugar (or use light brown)
1 T black or brown mustard seeds
2 t black peppercorns
1 t white peppercorns
5 green or white cardamom pods, seeds removed and reserved, pods discarded
2 t cumin seeds
2 t coriander seeds
6 whole cloves (or 3-4 if large) or .33 t ground
2 t fenugreek seeds (or the same, ground)
1 t ground turmeric
salt
mustard oil, optional
1 bay leaf
1 stick (3-inch) cinnamon or .75 t ground
2 T minced cilantro leaves plus more for garnish--best to mince for the pot and for the garnish at the last possible moment
ground dried red chile, as needed
T = tablespoon t = teaspoon
You can use your largest frying pan, sauté pan or rondeau for the preliminaries, transferring everything to a dutch oven for the braising stage or you can go with the latter from the beginning.
Heat a little of your chosen fat over med-high heat, maybe 2-3 T in your chosen pan till hot. Meanwhile, pat the meat cubes dry then sprinkle slightly generously with salt. Brown the meat in the hot fat: Depending on pan/pot size, do so in batches so as not to crowd the meat (it won’t brown well if crowded--it will steam instead). Shoot for browning all sides but don’t make yourself crazy trying to balance an oddly cut cube on its small side just so it will brown. Try to brown at least two sides nicely, three if you can, then move on. Remove the meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon and repeat, as needed, till all the meat is browned and in the bowl.
While the meat is browning, heat a small dry pan. In the pan, toast the whole spices--but not the cinnamon stick--till very fragrant or till the mustard seeds start popping, stirring constantly. Immediately remove to a spice grinder. Allow to cool then grind till very fine. Dump into a blender jar.
Add a little fat, if needed, to the pan you used for the meat and cook the onions over med heat, stirring immediately to scrape up any browned bits of meat that are clinging to the pan, then stirring occasionally thereafter, till the onions are nicely light-to-medium brown all over.
Meanwhile, while the onions are cooking, back to your blender: Add to your toasted spices in the blender jar about 1 t of the grated or minced ginger, 2-3 t of the garlic, the chopped jalapeños, the softened chilies, the tamarind (if using), your vinegar of choice, the sugar, and a pinch of salt. (Add a small splash of mustard oil if you have some.) Pulse the blender to get a sense of it then add a little water and blend well, adding a little more water if necessary to get a very smooth purée. Remove from the blender, force through a medium sieve, if necessary, and reserve. [Note: If you were using a leaner meat and wished to marinate, or if you wish to marinate anyway, it is this blender mix in which you would do so. That’s why some of the garlic and ginger are in it, the rest added to the pot with the meat. If marinating, make this marinade first, marinate the meat--2 or 3 hours on the counter, 12-24 in the fridge. Don’t bother trying to brown the meat if you marinate it. Start the cooking part of the recipe with the browning of the onions, etc., then add the marinated meat along with the marinade at the point noted below.]
When the onions are done, if using the chopped tomato, scrape the onions to the sides of the pan and add the chopped tomato to the center, mashing it well with a spoon as it heats. (If using tomato you’ve puréed, don’t add yet.) When the chopped tomatoes are heated and mashed well,, mix with the onion and scrape to the sides. (If not using tomato or if using the purée just scrape the onions to the side.) Add a tiny bit of fat to the center of the pan and immediately add any ground spices you’re using. (If using cinnamon stick don’t add that but do add ground if using that. Heat 10 sec then immediately add the remaining minced garlic and ginger. Stir the ginger and garlic with the ground spices in the center of the pan, avoiding the onions for the moment, and cook till very fragrant, about 30-45 secs, maybe 1 min, tops. Do not allow to brown.
Stir the entire pan’s contents well. If using the tomato purée add it now, while stirring. [Note: If you want the finished dish to be smooth textured you can do one of two things: you can either purée well the contents of the pan now, then mix it with the reserved purée that you made earlier, or you can continue with the recipe and, when done, you can allow to cool, remove the meat from the pot, then purée the pot’s contents at that point. You can also cool, then fridge, allowing fat to rise to the surface and congeal, remove the fat, then remove the meat and purée the contents. Of course, you can skip puréeing entirely and allow the onion mix to create a textured finish.]
If you you’ve a pan to this point, empty it into your dutch oven. Add the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot and add the reserved purée. (If using marinated meat add it and the marinade.) Add the cinnamon stick (if you didn’t use ground), the bay leaf and the minced cilantro. Stir well and add a little water, if needed, so the consistency is just about that of tomato soup. [Note: The pepper-spice purée is potent. Combine all as noted, keeping your eyes away from the pot while stirring, then walk away when first bringing to a simmer. It will burn your eyes.] Bring to a simmer over med heat, partially cover, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, till the meat is very tender, about 45-min-2 hours depending on the meat chosen (lean, marinated meats can take less time, like 20 min; pork shoulder can go up to 2--it’s hard to be specific here).
When the meat is tender adjust salt, vinegar and sugar, if needed. (The dish is not sweet at all. The sugar is there to balance the vinegar a bit but that’s it. The dish isn’t vinegary either. Shoot for cohesion.) Remove the bay leaf and cinn stick. Serve immediately, topped with a little minced cilantro or cool or cool and fridge as noted above. Flavors blend very well if allowed to sit so making it the day before is a good idea even if you are not doing the smooth finish-purée thing. Reheat gently to serving temp, no higher.
Potatoes are a common addition to vindaloo, especially in restaurants and especially with lamb, but they’re optional (and not traditional). Mostly I don’t use them unless I have some that need to be cooked or if, like in restaurants, I’m needing to stretch the meat. Since you should serve with basmati, an additional starch isn’t necessary. I do like them though.
Vindaloo can be finished very smoothly (save for the meat/potatoes of course) or can be textured. I like it both ways.
I much prefer vindaloos made with fattier cuts of meat so the braise can be longer. For pork or lamb use shoulder (choose butt over picnic if doing pork). For beef I much prefer top blade, chuck eye or tri-tip over stringier chuck cuts. If using goat use shoulder but note that some goat shoulder is lean. Consider the marinating option if the goat you have--or the lamb shoulder--is on the lean side.
The dish is Portuguese in origin and one easily sees the influences. Though red wine vinegar was part of the original (the Portuguese brought pork preserved in red wine vin to Goa), I mostly use palm or coconut vin as those were more readily available when Indian cooks started making the recipe their own by adding their own local spices and switching the meat (for non-pork eaters and/or to make use of local meats). Red or white wine vinegar works (avoid balsamic or distilled), as does cider vin, pineapple vin, or the two I’ve noted.
Vindaloos can be made more or less spicy/hot but it is hard to convey spice and heat levels. Best if you read the ingredients and procedure, make adjustments as you see fit or, better perhaps, make it once as written and make adjustments to future cooks. As written though, it’s not for the spice-timid or heat-shy.
The recipe looks lengthy because of the notes/option included. Read it over and you’ll see it is pretty straightforward.
Vindaloo
2.5 lbs (or so) meat, as noted above, trimmed as needed and cut into 1.5-inch cubes (resist the urge to make ‘bite-size’)
3-5 onions (about 1.75 lbs, give or take), peeled and finely chopped
1 whole small head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled, finely minced or pressed, divided
1 1.5-inch piece of ginger, grated or very finely minced, divided
1 large or 2 smaller ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded and chopped, optional (I often just skip if I don’t have any. You can used canned but if you do then used canned diced tomatoes, drained, and then processed to a purée. Do not use canned purée. )
neutral oil, ghee, melted lard or a combination
5-8 jalapeños, preferably ripe ones, stemmed and seeded, but use unripe if that’s all that’s available, chopped
2-6 small dried red chilies, seeded, reconstituted in hot water till softened
2 t tamarind concentrate, optional
3 T (if using the tamarind) or 1/4 c (if not) vinegar (as noted above)
1 t palm sugar (or use light brown)
1 T black or brown mustard seeds
2 t black peppercorns
1 t white peppercorns
5 green or white cardamom pods, seeds removed and reserved, pods discarded
2 t cumin seeds
2 t coriander seeds
6 whole cloves (or 3-4 if large) or .33 t ground
2 t fenugreek seeds (or the same, ground)
1 t ground turmeric
salt
mustard oil, optional
1 bay leaf
1 stick (3-inch) cinnamon or .75 t ground
2 T minced cilantro leaves plus more for garnish--best to mince for the pot and for the garnish at the last possible moment
ground dried red chile, as needed
T = tablespoon t = teaspoon
You can use your largest frying pan, sauté pan or rondeau for the preliminaries, transferring everything to a dutch oven for the braising stage or you can go with the latter from the beginning.
Heat a little of your chosen fat over med-high heat, maybe 2-3 T in your chosen pan till hot. Meanwhile, pat the meat cubes dry then sprinkle slightly generously with salt. Brown the meat in the hot fat: Depending on pan/pot size, do so in batches so as not to crowd the meat (it won’t brown well if crowded--it will steam instead). Shoot for browning all sides but don’t make yourself crazy trying to balance an oddly cut cube on its small side just so it will brown. Try to brown at least two sides nicely, three if you can, then move on. Remove the meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon and repeat, as needed, till all the meat is browned and in the bowl.
While the meat is browning, heat a small dry pan. In the pan, toast the whole spices--but not the cinnamon stick--till very fragrant or till the mustard seeds start popping, stirring constantly. Immediately remove to a spice grinder. Allow to cool then grind till very fine. Dump into a blender jar.
Add a little fat, if needed, to the pan you used for the meat and cook the onions over med heat, stirring immediately to scrape up any browned bits of meat that are clinging to the pan, then stirring occasionally thereafter, till the onions are nicely light-to-medium brown all over.
Meanwhile, while the onions are cooking, back to your blender: Add to your toasted spices in the blender jar about 1 t of the grated or minced ginger, 2-3 t of the garlic, the chopped jalapeños, the softened chilies, the tamarind (if using), your vinegar of choice, the sugar, and a pinch of salt. (Add a small splash of mustard oil if you have some.) Pulse the blender to get a sense of it then add a little water and blend well, adding a little more water if necessary to get a very smooth purée. Remove from the blender, force through a medium sieve, if necessary, and reserve. [Note: If you were using a leaner meat and wished to marinate, or if you wish to marinate anyway, it is this blender mix in which you would do so. That’s why some of the garlic and ginger are in it, the rest added to the pot with the meat. If marinating, make this marinade first, marinate the meat--2 or 3 hours on the counter, 12-24 in the fridge. Don’t bother trying to brown the meat if you marinate it. Start the cooking part of the recipe with the browning of the onions, etc., then add the marinated meat along with the marinade at the point noted below.]
When the onions are done, if using the chopped tomato, scrape the onions to the sides of the pan and add the chopped tomato to the center, mashing it well with a spoon as it heats. (If using tomato you’ve puréed, don’t add yet.) When the chopped tomatoes are heated and mashed well,, mix with the onion and scrape to the sides. (If not using tomato or if using the purée just scrape the onions to the side.) Add a tiny bit of fat to the center of the pan and immediately add any ground spices you’re using. (If using cinnamon stick don’t add that but do add ground if using that. Heat 10 sec then immediately add the remaining minced garlic and ginger. Stir the ginger and garlic with the ground spices in the center of the pan, avoiding the onions for the moment, and cook till very fragrant, about 30-45 secs, maybe 1 min, tops. Do not allow to brown.
Stir the entire pan’s contents well. If using the tomato purée add it now, while stirring. [Note: If you want the finished dish to be smooth textured you can do one of two things: you can either purée well the contents of the pan now, then mix it with the reserved purée that you made earlier, or you can continue with the recipe and, when done, you can allow to cool, remove the meat from the pot, then purée the pot’s contents at that point. You can also cool, then fridge, allowing fat to rise to the surface and congeal, remove the fat, then remove the meat and purée the contents. Of course, you can skip puréeing entirely and allow the onion mix to create a textured finish.]
If you you’ve a pan to this point, empty it into your dutch oven. Add the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot and add the reserved purée. (If using marinated meat add it and the marinade.) Add the cinnamon stick (if you didn’t use ground), the bay leaf and the minced cilantro. Stir well and add a little water, if needed, so the consistency is just about that of tomato soup. [Note: The pepper-spice purée is potent. Combine all as noted, keeping your eyes away from the pot while stirring, then walk away when first bringing to a simmer. It will burn your eyes.] Bring to a simmer over med heat, partially cover, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, till the meat is very tender, about 45-min-2 hours depending on the meat chosen (lean, marinated meats can take less time, like 20 min; pork shoulder can go up to 2--it’s hard to be specific here).
When the meat is tender adjust salt, vinegar and sugar, if needed. (The dish is not sweet at all. The sugar is there to balance the vinegar a bit but that’s it. The dish isn’t vinegary either. Shoot for cohesion.) Remove the bay leaf and cinn stick. Serve immediately, topped with a little minced cilantro or cool or cool and fridge as noted above. Flavors blend very well if allowed to sit so making it the day before is a good idea even if you are not doing the smooth finish-purée thing. Reheat gently to serving temp, no higher.