PORK VINDALOO: THAT RECIPE ONE MORE TIME

This is not the first time I have posted a recipe for Vindaloo on DH.

However, as we have a lot of new readers recently and this is one of the recipes I am most requested to send when I receive e-mails, I thought it was worth posting once more. I am also developing the dish each time I prepare it, so it may have altered from the last time I shared it, two years ago.

Although Vindaloo is associated with the Indian state of Goa. It has its origins in Portugal. It was first mentioned in England in 1888, when one W. H. Dawe explained it in The Wife's Help to Indian Cookery,

"Vindaloo or Bindaloo--A Portuguese Karhi.... The best Vindaloo is prepared in mustard-oil.... Beef and pork, or duck can be made into this excellent curry."

Traditionally Goan Vindaloo is a mixture of roasted spices and vinegar and, unlike much of the rest of India, the locals were able to use pork because they were predominantly christian and had no dietary laws forbid it.

It has its roots in a dish still found in parts of Portugal today, "Carne Vinha-d'Alhos" a delicious, thin stew of pork, garlic and white wine vinegar. On arrival in India, it was transformed into the spicy dish we are more familiar with today, although I hope you will find the recipe below a suitable alternative to the British curry house version, which seems to want to replicate as much as possible, the act of eating a plate of broken glass.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

INGREDIENTS (feeds 4-6 people)

2lbs of Pork (preferably pork butt/shoulder)

For the Marinade
1/2 Cup palm vinegar (or white vinegar if you can't find palm)
2 inches ginger, peeled
4 Fresh chillies finely minced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 black cardamom (optional)


SPICES (If you don't have whole spices, use pre ground, just make sure they are fresh)
5 Cloves
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Cumin seeds
1 tsp Ground Coriander seeds
1 tsp Ground Fenugreek seeds
2 tsp Hot chilli powder
1 tsp Ground ginger
1 tsp Ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
1 tsp Sugar
½ tsp Salt

1/2 Large white onion (sliced)

Oil for frying

METHOD

Trim the pork of excess fat, cut into 1in cubes and place in a bowl.

Blend the ginger, chilli and garlic to a fine paste with a little water and salt and pour over the pork, massaging well into the meat.

Add the palm vinegar to the bowl and massage into the meat.

Roast the whole spices in a pan and toast until they begin to release their scent.

Grind them and add all the other ingredients except the onion.

Pour over the pork and massage well into the meat.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for at least two hours. This allows the spices to penetrate and the vinegar to help tenderise the tougher cut of meat.

When ready to cook, heat a little oil in a deep sided pan and fry the onions until gloden.

Pour the entire contents of the bowl into the pan (watch out for the waft of vinegar steam that will shoot up.

Add 1/2 pint of water, stir well and reduce the heat.

Cover the pan and allow to simmer on a low heat for about three hours, checking to see when the meat is cooked and that it does not catch at the bottom of the pan. If it does, add a little more water.

After two hours, remove the lid to allow the sauce to reduce. The end result should be quite a dry curry, perfect to serve over plain white rice

VINDALOO: WE'RE GOING TO EAT ONE MORE THAN YOU

The Vindaloo, perhaps the most misunderstood dish of all Indian recipes.

A curry house favourite, most people associate this dish with intense heat which burns on the way in and on the way out. A badge of honour to finish, rather than a joy. But the real thing is one of the greatest curries of all. Fiery, for certain, but it has a deep, flavour filled heat from long marination and slow cooking. The classic ingredients of garlic and vinegar, which give it its name are a legacy of Goa's Portugese past.

Slightly different to my old recipe, this version was given to me on my travels by the owner of a small restaurant in Cavelossim and although time consuming, is entirely delicious. The cubes of pork leg are marinated in chillies, garlic, ginger, a clove rich spice mix and a blend of palm vinegar and white wine vinegar and left for about three hours. The end result is well worth the effort. Lots of levels of flavour, meltingly tender meat and enough punch to make it worthy of the name. Here is the recipe. If you can roast and grind fresh spices all the better, if not, use powders.

INGREDIENTS
2lbs of pork leg cubed

MARINADE
1/4 cup palm vinegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
(or use all white wine vinegar if you can't find palm)
2 tsp ginger/garlic paste ( whizzed up ginger, garlic, salt and water)
5 ground cloves
4 chillies finely minced
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp corriander powder
2 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sugar

METHOD
Mix all the ingredients well with the pork, cover and leave for at least a couple of hours. Pour a little oil in a pan and add the meat and its marinade and half a pint of water. Cook gently for around one hour, adding more water if it begins to stick, The end result should be soft, tender meat with a thick,rich gravy

As an accompaniment, I made a recipe nearer to DH roots, a vegetable dish of potato, sweet potato and spinach cooked in Bengali panch phoron or five spice until the potatoes melt to form a thick coating.

To cool the mouth down between bites a raita of cucumber and mint and, of course, there was no way I was going to let all that porky skin go to waste after I trimmed it from the meat. I salted it for a few hours to remove moisture and then roasted until golden and crispy.

Definitely worth a try