Vindaloo (Goan-Style Hot & Sour Pork)
Pork vindaloo is the Goan classic where cubes of pork braise in a fiery spice paste of cumin, mustard, fenugreek, cinnamon, and red chilies bound with white wine vinegar. A hot-and-sour curry that gets better the day after.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minVindaloo is the Goan curry that earned a reputation for serious heat, but the dish is really about balance. The hot-and-sour signature comes from white wine vinegar pulling against ground dried chilies, while sweet onions fried until crisp and pureed back into the sauce smooth out the rough edges.
The spice paste here is built from scratch the proper way. Whole cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, black mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds all grind together fresh, then meet vinegar to bloom into the masala that carries the entire dish.
Fried, pureed onions are the unsung trick. They build a deep, almost caramelized sweetness that no raw onion paste can match.
Chef Tips
- Toast the whole spices in a dry pan for 60 seconds before grinding, the aromas explode and the curry depth doubles.
- Use pork shoulder cut into one-inch cubes. Lean cuts dry out during the hour-long simmer, while the shoulder’s fat melts into the sauce.
- Brown the pork in small batches and don’t crowd the pot. Crowding steams instead of sears and you lose the fond that flavors the curry.
- Make this a day ahead. The flavors marry overnight and the heat softens into something deeper and more complex.
Variations
- Swap pork for boneless chicken thighs for a lighter weeknight version.
- Use lamb shoulder for a richer, more festive curry that pairs beautifully with naan.
- Add a couple of dried Kashmiri chilies alongside the hot reds for deeper red color without scorching heat.
Ingredients
Directions
Grind cumin seeds, red chilies, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a coffee grinder or other spice grinder. Put the ground spices in a bowl. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium flame. Put in the onions. Fry, stirring frequently, until the onions turn brown and crisp. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and put them into the container of an electric blender or food processor.
(Turn off the heat.) Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the blender and purée the onions. Add this purée to the ground spices in the bowl. (This is the vindaloo paste. It may be made ahead of time and frozen) Dry off the meat cubes with a paper towel and remove large pieces of fat, if any.
Put the ginger and garlic into the container of an electric blender or food processor. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil remaining in the pot once again over a medium- high flame. When hot, put in the pork cubes, a few at a time, and brown them lightly on all sides. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon and keep in a bowl.
Do all the pork this way. Now put the ginger-garlic paste into the same pot. Turn down the heat to medium. Stir the paste for a few seconds. Add the coriander and turmeric. Stir for another few seconds. Add the meat, any juices that may have accumulated as well as the vindaloo paste and the water.
Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently for an hour or until pork is tender. Stir a few times during this cooking period. Serve with rice.
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