Pork Vindaloo - Pork in a spicy curry Goa style

Pork Vindaloo is a Portuguese dish from Goa where meat is cooked with spices and vinegar. With my simple recipe, you can learn to prepare Pork Vindaloo the traditional way.

Goa, a coastal state in India, is popular for its fabulous beaches, tropical climate and fantastic food. It is the smallest state in India but is slowly becoming popular around the world for its unique cuisine, and specifically for its use of simple ingredients and robust flavors.

Just like Goa Fish Curry, another popular curry from Goa, this curry also has a slight spicy note, but the note in this recipe comes from the use of vinegar and tamarind paste. However, you can just use vinegar instead of tamarind if you don't have tamarind paste on hand.

What is Vindaloo?

Vindaloo is a spicy Indian curry from Goa that is influenced by Portuguese cuisine. When the Portuguese came to India, they made a dish called "Carne de Vinha d'Alhos," which literally means a dish of meat cooked with wine and garlic.

The natives in Goa modified the dish by adding Indian spices and cooking it in vinegar instead of wine. This resulted in the fiery red and spicy Vindaloo Curry.

Vindaloo Curry is hot and spicy and is full of savory and slightly sweet flavors.

In today's post, I'm sharing the Pork Vindaloo recipe. You can leave the base curry the same and make it with your choice of meat. The only difference is the cooking time, as different meats require different cooking times.

Pork Vindaloo is a delicious curry that is widely used in restaurants in Goa and in local Konkan households. It is spicy, tangy, fiery red and tastes best with either steamed rice or poi (a traditional Goa bread).

It gets most of its flavor from the freshly prepared vindaloo paste, which is a nice blend of fresh ginger, garlic, white vinegar, tamarind and some aromatic whole spices. The spice in Vindaloo Curry comes from vinegar, which is the main ingredient in this dish along with the spicy dried red chilies.

Ingredients for my Pork Vindaloo

Vindaloo Paste – We use a variety of spices to make vindaloo paste. You need whole dry red chilies, whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, green cardamom, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and mustard seeds.

I used dry red chilies from Kashmir, which give the curry a nice red color without making it too spicy. You can use any dry red chili pepper that is readily available to you.

Along with these spices, add fresh ginger, garlic, white vinegar and tamarind paste. Vinegar and tamarind give this paste a nice spicy flavor that sets it apart from other Indian curries.

Traditionally, toddy vinegar is used for this curry, but since I don't have access to it, I use regular white vinegar for the seasoning.

Pork – For the most flavorful curry, use skinless, bone-in cuts of pork. Bones add a lot of flavors to the curry and make it irresistible. But if you're not a fan of bone-in meat, you can use boneless pork.

For other non-vegetarian versions, try the same recipe with lamb, fish, shrimp or beef. Just remember that the cooking time will be slightly different for each of them. You can even make a vegetarian version with potatoes, tofu, cauliflower or Paneer .

Tomato Puree - Tomatoes add a nice sweet, tangy flavor. Instead of tomato puree you can use tomato paste, just reduce the amount a bit as it is more intense in flavor.

Tamarind paste - Tamarind paste adds a nice spiciness to this curry. If it's not on hand or available, you could use lime juice or white vinegar instead.

Vegetable oil - Use any vegetable oil to prepare the Vindaloo Curry.

Other - Besides the above ingredients, you'll need a few more basic ingredients like onions, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. You can omit sugar, but it adds a little touch of sweetness and balances the flavors well.

FAQs

How spicy is Vindaloo Curry?

The curry, when prepared in goan households, is quite spicy and you can call it XX Hot. But you can definitely change the spice level according to your taste buds and make it mild as well.

The number of chilies and the variety I used makes for a medium hot curry.

If you want it even milder, remove the seeds from the chilies.

Are there any dairy products used in the Vindaloo curry?

No milk is used. Most restaurants serve a very modified version of this dish, far from the original recipe. Here, cream is often added to the dish.

Does Pork Vindaloo have gluten?

Since there is no flour added to the dish, it does not contain gluten and is perfectly fine for people with gluten intolerance.

Which vinegar is best for Vindaloo Curry?

Traditionally, Goans use palm or coconut vinegar, but since I can't find the same in Germany I used white vinegar. You can also use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar. To balance the hint of sweetness that palm vinegar offers, I added a little sugar.

Can we add coconut milk to Vindaloo Curry?

Yes, you can prepare the vindaloo paste in advance and store it in the refrigerator for about a month. Store it properly in an airtight container and take out the paste with a clean and dry spoon every time you use it.

Can you store Vindaloo paste?

Ja, du kannst die Vindaloo Paste im Voraus zubereiten und etwa einen Monat im Kühlschrank aufbewahren. Bewahre sie richtig in einem luftdichten Behälter auf und nimm die Paste jedes Mal, wenn du sie verwendest, mit einem sauberen und trockenen Löffel heraus.

Serving suggestions

You can serve steamed basmati rice or jeera rice with Pork Vindaloo.

In Goa, it is served with a special bread called poi. You can also serve it with rolls, brioche or white bread.

It tastes great with chapati, tawa paratha, naan or laccha paratha. Sometimes I also like to serve it with dosa or appam, it tastes just delicious.

Storage suggestions

Pork Vindaloo will keep in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days if kept in an airtight container. Heat it in a pan or microwave before serving. If you feel it has thickened a bit after cooling, add some hot water and adjust the consistency.

You can even freeze this curry. Cool it completely and put it in a freezer safe box and freeze it for up to a month. Let it thaw on the counter for 3-4 hours and then heat it with a little water until it is nice and warm before serving.

Ingredients

For the Vindaloo Paste

• 8-10 whole dry red Kashmiri chilies (or other dry chilies; remove stems).

• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

• 3-4 cloves

• 2.5cm piece of cinnamon stick

• 2-3 whole green cardamoms

• 8-10 whole black peppercorns

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp black mustard seeds

• 8-10 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

• 2,5cm piece of ginger (chopped)

• 1 tbsp white vinegar

For the Curry

• 6 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 large red onions (chopped)

• 800g boneless pork leg, cut into 2.5cm cubes

• 1 cup canned tomato puree (or ½ cup tomato paste)

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• ½ tsp white granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)

Instructions

Prepare the Vindaloo Paste :

Put red chilies, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, black peppercorns, cumin seeds and mustard seeds in a pan.

Roast the spices(without oil) over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned (3-4 minutes). Continue to stir while roasting.

Once the spices are toasted, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool completely. Add the roasted spices to a high-speed blender along with the ginger, garlic, white wine vinegar, tamarind paste, and ½ cup water and blend until smooth. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times as you prepare the paste.

Your Vindaloo masala paste is now ready. Set this aside.

Prepare the Vindaloo Curry :

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and fry until golden brown (10-12 minutes). Keep stirring.

Add meat pieces to pot and fry over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring continuously .

Add tomato puree and Vindaloomasala paste prepared earlier to the pot and mix well.Now add salt, turmeric powder and 1 cup of water to the pot and stir gently.

Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low heat for 45-50 minutes until the meat is well cooked.

Add sugar and cook for another minute.

Add sugar and cook for another minute.

Serve Pork Vindaloo with steamed Basmati rice or Laccha Paratha .

Tip

• Increase or decrease the spice level according to your spiciness preference.

• I used red Kashmiri chilies, which give this curry a fiery red color, but they are not as spicy. You can use any dry red chilies that are readily available to you.

• Roast the spices over medium heat for the best flavor.

• For other non-vegetarian versions, try the same recipe with lamb, fish, shrimp, eggs or chicken. Just remember that the cooking time will be slightly different for each of them. You can even make a vegetarian version with potatoes, tofu, cauliflower, or paneer.

• Some people prefer to soak the chilies in vinegar for some time, but after trying it several times, I have found that this extra step is not necessary at all.

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