Goan Pork Vindaloo in Pungent Brown Sauce
Submitted by vbradley46
Goan pork vindaloo, tender pork shoulder in a fiery, tangy brown sauce built from freshly toasted whole spices, dried red chiles, garlic, tamarind, and vinegar. The authentic Portuguese-Indian curry, hot and sour.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
45 minREADY
2 hrsForget the gloopy takeout version. Real Goan vindaloo is a fierce, sour, deeply spiced curry with Portuguese roots. The name comes from vinha d’alhos, wine (here vinegar) and garlic, the marinade the Portuguese brought to Goa.
Everything starts with the spices. Toasting whole cloves, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and dried red chiles in a dry skillet until they darken and turn fragrant is the soul of the dish. That toasting unlocks oils and depth you simply can’t get from pre-ground powder, so don’t skip it.
Tamarind, soaked and squeezed for its pulp, brings a fruity sourness, while cider vinegar sharpens it further, the hot-and-sour balance that defines vindaloo.
Pork shoulder is the cut to use; its fat and connective tissue break down over a long simmer into meltingly tender, sauce-soaked bites. Serve it with plenty of rice to tame the heat.
Chef Tips
- Toast the spices only until fragrant and a few shades darker. Burnt spices turn the whole sauce bitter.
- Grind the toasted spices fresh with the garlic, vinegar, and tamarind into a paste for the deepest flavor.
- Vindaloo is meant to be hot, but you set the level; use fewer chiles or seed them for a milder sauce.
- It tastes even better the next day, after the pork sits in the sauce overnight.
Variations
- Add a peeled, diced potato near the end, a common (if debated) addition.
- Use chicken or lamb in place of pork.
- Stir in a teaspoon of sugar or jaggery to round off the sour-spicy edge.
Ingredients
Directions
Trim the meat and cut into ¾ inch pieces. Place the tamarind in a nonmetallic bowl; pour in 1½ cups hot water and let soak at least 1 hour.
Work the tamarind with fingers to squeeze out as much pulp and juice as possible. Strain into a bowl and set aside. Discard the residue.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the chile peppers, cinnamon sticks, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and black peppercorns; roast the spices, stirring and shaking the skillet constantly, until the coriander, cumin and chile peppers turn several shades darker. Continue to cook.
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