Pork Vindaloo

Spicy pork curry from the Goan region of India.

Vindaloo is a spicy type of curry from the southern part of India. It evolved from a type of Portuguese adobo recipe which included meat and wine (Carne de vinha d’alhos) that over time was modified to include vinegar instead of wine in the dish. Traditionally, the Indian versions of this dish only used meat but in restaurants you can see it also made with potatoes, probably because the “vin” part of the name comes from wine and the “aloo” part means potatoes in Hindi. Sometimes the meats are marinated in the vinegar and spice mixture but I don’t think that is absolutely necessary as the flavor does get into the meat during the braising process. Since it has vinegar in it, it tends to have a “sweet-sour” kind of flavor, and in my interpretation of the recipe, the tamarind will add a bit of that character as well. I use tamarind concentrate in this, which is concentrated tamarind juice and much easier than making that from tamarind on your own, which may need to be strained to remove any fibrous bits. I made this with boneless pork loin as well, but you could easily use pork shoulder in this as it does excellently with a braising method. You could probably use pork chops in this as well, but since those tend to dry out, marinating those and shortening the cooking time might be advised. In any case you will probably like to serve this with rice on the side along with another type of vegetable curry, such as aloo gobi, saag curry, or bhindi masala which are all favorites around here. I hope you enjoy.

~Sue

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless pork loin, cubed
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seed
8-10 curry leaves
2 4-inch cinnamon sticks
2 medium onions, cut crosswise into quarters
water to cover onion
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
2 teaspoons ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cups water (or onion cooking liquid, possibly with water added)
2 tablespoons coconut cream
chopped cilantro (for garnish)

Method:

Simmer onions covered in water until they are soft; puree onions (minus liquid) in food processor but keep cooking liquid.
Heat coconut oil in a large pan and add pork; cook until browned.
Stir in the onion paste along with seasonings, garlic, ginger, tamarind, and vinegar.
Add 2 cups of the onion cooking liquid; if there is not 2 cups, top up with water.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Uncover and continue to cook another 30 minutes or so or until meat is tender and sauce starts to thicken up.
Stir in coconut cream.
Serve garnished with chopped cilantro along with a side of steamed rice.

Serves 4
Prep: 15
Cook: 90