This delicious curry has little to do with its high street cousin – although it is very hot, there the similarity ends! A true Goan vindaloo is rich with vinegar and garlic (the name itself comes from the Portuguese for these two), fresh and vibrant with hot red chilli, sweet with onions and tomatoes, and earthy with potatoes. Going a bit left field and replacing the large dried red chillis used in Goa with Facing Heaven chillis from Szechuan will add smoky, mouthwatering undercurrents.

(SERVES 4)

01.

Ingredients

500g pork shoulder, diced
4 onions, thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and halved
4 large red fresh chillies, thinly sliced
Finger-sized stick of Ceylon Cinnamon
4 Facing Heaven chillies (or if you don’t have them, standard dried Indian red are fine)
4tsp Vindaloo Curry blend
2tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1tsp tamarind concentrate
1tbs tomato paste or our lovely tomato powder
2tsp Jaggery or a 2cm chunk
50ml cider vinegar

02.

Method

  • In a heavy, deep pan heat 2tbs coconut oil. Now throw in the Facing Heaven chillis and the cinnamon, give them a good stir, and then add the onions. Fry the onions on a moderate heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, before adding the garlic, ginger and red chillies.
  • Keep on frying until they are all beginning to brown and give off that lovely smell. Now add the tomatoes, the potatoes, the jaggery, the tamarind and the tomato paste, and the pork.
  • Add a little water here to prevent burning, and keep on stirring vigorously, getting everything mixed up. Here it’s time to add your Vindaloo powder and chilli powder, and keep frying till the spices give off a nice aroma.
  • Add the cider vinegar at this point, together with enough water to cover the meat and veg. Turn down the heat and cook the Vindaloo on a gentle simmer for 45 minutes keeping an eye on consistency – the sauce should be at a point where it pretty much sticks to the back of a spoon.
  • Add a little water toward the end of the cooking time if needed. Turn off the heat and add a good handful of freshly chopped coriander to the pan, and stir. Vindaloo in my opinion is best served with plain white Basmati rice, and plenty of it!