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Vindaloo Curry

Goan Pork Vindaloo Curry

I do love a good, hot curry. However a Vindaloo curry from the local Indian Restaurant or takeaway would never be first choice as it simply is a hot curry. Heat a priority, flavour secondary.

Vindaloo originates from the Indian region of Goa. This region is heavily influenced by the Portuguese settlers. It also has a quite large Christian population meaning that pork, a meat rarely eaten in India, can be found on the menu.

So a traditional Vindaloo Curry is made with wine, vinegar and copious amounts of garlic. The name Vindaloo comes from the Portuguese language. ‘Vinho’ meaning wine and ‘alho’ meaning garlic. Quite a few people think that the ‘aloo’ in Vindaloo means potato. Strangely enough many British Indian Restaurants do put potato in there Vindaloo, just to confuse things further!

Vindaloo Curry, How Hot Can You Go?

My recipe for Vindaloo is spicy but no where near as spicy as the dish you would get in a British Indian Restaurant.

If you want more heat it’s quite easy to adapt the recipe. Either add some chilli powder when you fry the masala off. Or add more fresh chillies. Birdseye chillies are great in this dish as are the thin Thai chillies which I believe are a type of cayenne. The other option is to add some chilli pickle towards the end. Naga Pickle, of course, is always going to add plenty of heat!

On the other hand you may fancy the sound of this dish but you’re not a fan of hot curries. If that’s the case then just add however much or little fresh chillies as you want.

But I Like Aloo In My Vindaloo?

If that’s the case then add some! Simply boil a few cubed potatoes so they’re not quite cooked and then throw them in your Vindaloo for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.

If you like the look of this recipe you might want to check out the recipe for Lamb Madras

Pathia

Pathia – Sweet, Hot & Sour Curry

Pathia is a wonderful Indian dish that has it’s roots in Persia. Sweet, hot and sour it hits all the right notes in out household.

Obviously you can alter the level of heat to suit your taste by using more or less Chilli powder and fresh chillies.

Chicken & Paneer Pathia Made With ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala

For this recipe I used chicken thigh as the main ingredient with a little added paneer. If you are using chicken breast it may take a little less cooking.

You can use whatever main ingredient you like though. Prawns work really well. If you are using lamb or beef remember they will need longer cooking or try par-cooking first. If you want a vegetarian version You can use whatever you like. If using root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots try par-boiling before adding to the sauce. They will then cook quicker and take on more flavour from the sauce.

Obviously I used my own ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala for this dish. You can however use any branded curry masala or your own version.

Base Sauce

I’ve used a base sauce for this recipe but I’ve made one especially for this curry. It’s a bit heavier on the tomatoes than most base sauces.

If you want to use your own base sauce go ahead. Just add the tomato ingredients to the fried spices before adding your own base.

For more on base sauce and British Indian Restaurant style cooking follow this link.

Spicing Essence

This is what makes my version this curry a little bit different. You’re basicly making an aromatic, sweet and sour syrup,

Added towards the end of the cooking it adds a lovely sweet layer of flavour, with some subtle tones from the spices.

You can of course adapt this syrup to your own liking, using extra spices or less, depending on your taste.

By the way, try this syrup drizzled over onion bhajis for a treat, it tastes amazing!

Peter Piper Picked A Padron Pepper…

And it nearly blew his head off!

Well maybe not. Allegedly one in every thirty, or twenty % padron peppers is a hot one. So eating them is a bit like playing Russian Roulette… but with peppers.

For those that don’t know Padron Peppers are little chilli peppers that grow in the northwest of Spain in an area called, well, Padron of course.

I first heard of them when Rick Stein was doing his series on Spain. He cooked them the classic way, in olive oil until blistered and then sprinkled with sea salt.

I thought then that they looked delicious but that was a couple of years ago and it is only now that these little tasty morsels seem to be readily available. In fact they seem to be the new craze!

They are incredibly tasty, and generally not spicy. However it’s great fun when you get a spicy one and there is no way of telling!

We simply cook them gently in olive oil until the skin starts to blister and small flecks of charred flesh appear. They are then spooned into a bowl and sprinkled liberally with salt.

The bowl is then handed round the table and we all take one. The kids always look a bit apprehensive just in case they have picked one of the hot ones. It’s great to watch them gingerly take that first bite!

We always give the children a little pot of Greek yoghurt on the side which they dip their pepper into. And of course it helps if they do happen to get a hot one!

I whole heartedly recommend anyone to try these peppers. They really are tasty and such a simple little treat to prepare as a snack, simple starter or a full Tapas blow-out.

Just remember as they say in Spain; Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non, Padron Peppers, some are hot, some are not!