Pork Vindaloo

My husband completed his work experience in Goa - and that is where he got used to the Vindaloo.  I had never heard of this dish till after our marriage.  I knew of the Nagercoil pork dish that my grandmother used to make and that is where my knowledge ended.  We used to go to our local Indian restaurants to have this and to be very frank I never really enjoyed it.  Over the years I have tried various recipes and finally got this one - which I think is something i would like to keep!

Thank you to Neha Mathur of a whiskaffair for the recipe.

I make this recipe in two parts.  Part 1 is just marination and part 2 is the actual cooking.

Part 1 - Marination:

Ingredients:

6 dry red chillies plus 1 tablespoon of deghi mirch red chilli powder 
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 - 4 cloves
2-3 green cardamoms
1 inch cinnamon
8-10 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cummin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
10 - 12 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece ginger, sliced
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 small 2 cm ball of tamarind soaked in water and juice squeezed 
2 teaspoons salt

1 kg pork belly cut into curry pieces

Method:

Wash the pork, leave it in a colander to dry.  When the pieces are dry, rub the salt all over and let it marinate. 

Meanwhile get all the whole spices - chillies, coriander, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns, cummin and mustard - dry roast in medium heat until you can smell the fragrance of the spices.  Do not let the spices burn.  Turn the heat off and add the chilli powder and give it a mix.
Once the spices have cooled, put in your grinder along with the ginger, garlic and a little of the wine to make a paste.

Get the wine, vinegar and tamarind juice and mix with the spice paste.  Take a stainless steel or glass bowl and place your pork inside and rub the spices in.  Cover with clingwrap and leave in the fridge overnight.

Part 2 - Cooking the pork: 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups onion chopped
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and when it gets hot, add the onions.  Saute until the onions start to turn gold and reduce in quantity.

Next add the marinated pork and saute on high heat for 8 to 10 minutes.  Then add the turmeric powder and tomato paste.  Reduce heat and close the lid.  

Every now and again, give the pot a bit of a stir - and make sure that the spices are not getting burnt at the bottom of the wok.

You will start to see oil starting to leave the sides and rise to the top - the oil needs to continue to rise till you can see the top glisten.

When the pork is cooked, check for salt, add a sprig of curry leaves and a teaspoon of sugar, give the pot a stir for another couple of minutes and your pork vindaloo is ready.

Serve hot with rice or roti.  Pork vindaloo is meant to be hot and tangy.  

Note:  You can substitute chillies for Kashmiri Chilli which is red but not quite as hot.  Deghi Mirch is also another type of chilli that adds a rich red colour without being so fiery.