Pork Vindaloo

I made this dish a while ago, but still have the recept.  My Goanese friend says it is just like her Mother-in-law's vindaloo back in Bombay.

It's made from scratch, but the hardest part really is the shopping. You might have to go in to an Indian grocery store, and ask for ingredients, but the storekeepers don't mind at all.  Once inside, you can browse the spices, marinade jars and videos, and you might just walk away wiser, with interesting ingredients and maybe a movie or 2 that have cost next to nothing.

The basic vindaloo paste is best made a day ahead, and used to marinate the pork overnight.  You can also substitute chicken or beef, but I wouldn't use lamb, as the flavours don't work. Rogan josh (see future post) is much better suited here.

A few other tips, the marinade paste will keep in the fridge for a while, so it is easy to make up 2 batches.  You can vary the spiciness by the amount of chillis you use!

Anyway, lets get into it:

2 tsps whole cumin seeds
2 to 3 dried chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamon seed (take the seeds out of the pods)
1 x 5cm stick of cinnamon
1.5 tsp whole black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seed
5 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1.5 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced finely
1 cup water
1 kg pork leg meat, diced into cubes (get your butcher to do this)
2.5 cm knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric

1. Grind cumin seeds, chillies, peppercorns, cardamon seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a coffee mill or spice mill (these are cheap from department stores). Put the ground spices in a small bowl, add the vinegar, salt and sugar and keep aside.
2. In a large saucepan, fry the finely sliced onions in the oil over medium heat, careful not to burn. You want the onions to be lightly golden and crisp.  Remove onions with a slotted spoon so the oil remains in the pot for the next step.  Drain the onion on kitchen paper.
3. Place cooked onion into an electric blender or food processor.  Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water and puree. Add this puree to the ground spice mixture in the bowl, and you have the vindaloo paste.

this paste can be used to marinate the meat overnight, or you can proceed to step 4.

4. Rinse the blender or processor and add the ginger, garlic and 2-3 tbsp water and blend until you have a smooth paste. This is the flavour base for the curry.
5. Preheat the oil in the pot over medium- high heat, and cook the pork in batches, browning lightly on all sides.  If you have marinated the meat overnight, remove most of the marinate from the meat so it doesn't burn, and set aside for use. 
6. Remove browned meat with a slotted spoon and keep aside in a bowl.  Repeat until all the pork has browned.
7. Now add the ginger-garlic paste into the pot, reduce to medium heat and fry paste for a few seconds. Add the coriander and turmeric, then the pork cubes, the meat juices and the remaining vindaloo paste. Stir in 1 cup of water, bring to boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or until pork is tender.  Stir occasionally.

This recipe is a great base for you to experiment. It is as good as the vindaloos from most indian restaurants.  If you like less heat, use 2 or 3 chillies.  The vinegar really helps with the flavour.  Good the first day, great on the second.

Enjoy making it :)