vindaloo

Vindaloo was first brought to Goa by the Portuguese and soon became a pleasing Goan meal often served during special occasions. Historically this was a pork dish cooked with plenty of wine vinegar and garlic, known as "Vinho de Alho", however it soon received the Goan treatment of adding plentiful amounts of spice and chili. Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lamb sometimes mixed with potatoes. Traditional vindaloos do not include potatoes, the discrepancy arising because the word "aloo" meaning garlic (presumably derived from the Portuguese word "alho") is mistranslated as "potato" as it is in Hindi.

The dish gained added popularity in Britain, and became a common fixture at Indian restaurants and curry houses there. In colloquial English - it is often referred to as "A Vindy" - and is well known for its heat - being one of the hotter curries available.

"Vindaloo" is also the title of a 1998 song by Fat Les.
[from Wickipedia]

This recipe is from from Indian chef Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. I have a traditional Goan recipe (from a cookbook) that's very similar. The main ingredients in Vindaloo are lots of vinegar and lots of garlic.

Ingredients:

2 t whole cumin seeds
2-3 hot, dried red chili peppers
1 t black peppercorns
1 t cardamom seeds (take seeds out of the pods)
3-inch stick of cinnamon
1½ t whole black mustard seeds
1 t whole fenugreek seeds (if available)
5 T white wine vinegar [Note: I substitute 1 T of balsamic vinegar]
1½ to 2 t salt
1 t light brown sugar
10 T vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into fine half-rings
1 1/3 c water (or broth/stock)
2 lb boneless lamb (or pork or beef) shoulder meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small, whole head of garlic, with all the cloves separated and peeled
1 T ground coriander
½ t ground tumeric

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 the heat off.) Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the blender and puree the onions. Add this puree 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. [Note: I chop the ginger and garlic with a knife and don't add water so they don't spit out of the pan when you fry them]

Heat the oil remaining in the pot once again over a medium-high flame. When hot, put in the lamb 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 lamb 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 tumeric. Stir for another few seconds. Add the meat, any juices that may have accumulated as well as the vindaloo paste and 1 cup water (or stock). Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently for an hour or until meat is tender. Stir a few times during this cooking period.