Goan Pork Vindaloo

Vindaloo is an Indian dish based on the Portuguese dish Carne de Vinha D’alhos (meat marinated in wine-vinegar and garlic). Like many other dishes that came to India and were tweaked to suit the Indian taste palette, Vindaloo also underwent it’s changes. Spices like cinnamon, cardamom, pepper etc were added to enhance the flavour. But the major change wasn’t with the spices. Since vinegar in itself wasn’t available in India during that period, an alternative had to be found. The Franciscan priests came up with this great idea to make palm vinegar from palm wine. This is how palm vinegar or toddy vinegar found a place in the Indian version of the Vindaloo.

I never had pork before tasting Vindaloo at a Goan restaurant. The tangy and flavourful curry was something I so enjoyed, and when we got back home I wanted to try making it. I went through a lot of recipes, tasted the homemade Vindaloo from Goan homecooks, spoke to a few, made Vindaloo a lot many times at home, altered it many a times and finally reached this recipe. I wouldn’t say this is the ‘authentic’ recipe, but this is the closest to the traditional Goan Vindaloo that I’ve had.

The red colour of the Vindaloo doesn’t mean the curry is a spicy one. The red colour comes from the Kashmiri chilli that is used. Kashmiri chilli, again, was brought to India by the Portuguese. Let me first tell you, I take two days to make this curry. Yes, you heard it right, two days! Trust me while I say, you will never regret waiting for this curry. So let us start cooking!

Goan Pork Vindaloo

Lejna

Pork Vindaloo is a famous Indian curry dish. There are many variations of this dish as per regions. This is my take on the Goan Pork Vindaloo.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Marination and Resting 1 d

Total Time 1 d 3 hrs 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Goan

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg Pork 2 inch pieces
• ½ cup Red wine vinegar or toddy vinegar
• Salt as per taste
• 15 nos Kashmiri red chilli
• 2 nos Red chili
• 15 nos Garlic pods
• 1 inch Ginger
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Peppercorns
• 6 nos Cloves
• 1 inch Cinnamon
• 4 nos Cardamom
• 1 no Onion finely chopped
• Oil

Instructions

 

• Wash and pat dry the pork cubes. Mix the pork with 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar and salt and set aside for 2 hours.
• Grind the Kashmiri red chilli, red chilli, 10 garlic pods, ginger, cumin, peppercorn, clove, cinnamon and cardamom with ¼ cup red wine vinegar into a paste. Take half of the mixture and refrigerate it.
• Add the other half of the marinade to the pork, mix well till all the pieces are well coated and refrigerate overnight.
• Take a little oil in a kadai for sauteing the onions and garlic. Don't take too much oil as there will be a lot of fat that comes off the pork.
• Saute the onion and finely diced 5 garlic pods till they are soft, add the rest of the marinade that was refrigerated and add to the sauteed onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes.
• To this add the marinated pork and mix well. Pour ½ cup of water and the rest of the red wine vinegar, close the vessel and simmer and cook for upto 3 hours. Stir the curry in between and add water if you feel the gravy is thick.
• You will know that the curry is ready when there is a thick layer of fat that floats on top.
• Allow it to cool completely and refrigerate overnight.
• Relish your delicious pork vindaloo with rice or bread of your choice the next day.

Keyword Goan, Goan Pork Vindaloo, Pork Vindaloo, Vindaloo