Chicken Vindaloo

Curries are a regular on our menu. There are many of them because each and every state and region in India has their own unique curry dishes. Some of them are famous all over the country and even world renowned. One such outrageously delicious curry, which will tempt you mop your plate clean is Vindaloo. I am calling this my Christmas curry for 2018. So grab yourself a glass of your favorite drink, and come join me.

Vindaloo, for those of you who don’t know, originated as the Portuguese dish “carne de vinha d’alhos” which basically means meat marinated in wine and garlic. The dish was later adapted by people of Goa using local ingredients and spices. Contrary to popular misconception, Vindaloo does not contain any ‘aloo’ or potato and is not fiery hot. It’s in fact a dish with a harmonious balance of sour and spice with sweet notes.

The Goan cooking style involves liberal use of spices in curries for a distinctive aroma. Cumin, turmeric, garlic, chilli and coriander are the most common spices. Hot red chillies give their curries the characteristic red maroonish color, while a liberal use of vinegar (and occasionally, tamarind) give them a delicate tanginess.

For a dish with such a complex flavors, Vindaloo is surprisingly easy to make. It only takes one and half hour from start to finish, including marinating time.  Most of the ingredients are pantry and fridge staples, with the exception of whole spices for which some of you have to make a trip to the supermarket. All the whole spices are easily available but if your regular supermarket doesn’t carry it, you can always find it at the Indian grocery store. The other thing is that the chillies typically used in this are the Kashmiri chilies. They are less pungent than other chilies and are mostly used for a good color. If you can’t find them, other chilies can be substituted. I used my home grown ring of fire red chilies. They give a good color to the curry but are very hot so I reduced the amount.

I chose chicken for this recipe, but you can really pick any type of meat.  Begin by toasting the whole spices and then soak them in vinegar.  This will soften the spices to allow you to blitz them into a fine paste. Marinate the chicken in salt and turmeric.  Many recipes call for the chicken to be marinated in the spice paste, you can do that if you like. I don’t do because I like browning the chicken slightly before adding the spice paste. There are obviously different ways of making vindaloo and there is no right or wrong way but please do not add potatoes. Neither tomatoes nor potatoes belong in a real vindaloo.

Vindaloo is often served with plain white rice, which works nicely to soak up the complex flavors. For curry like this it is always a good idea to have a wine with a hint of sweetness as it tempers the heat of the spices. We had bright and crisp Okanagan white wine. It is brimming with flavors of peach and pear with delicate citrus notes that refreshes the palate.

If you end up making this recipe, I would love to see it! Just take a photo and post it on your preferred Social Media and tag me. You can find me on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

I am bringing my recipe of Chicken Vindaloo to Corina’s linky Cookonceeattwice at Searching for Spice.com. And also to Cookblogshare @ Easypeasyfoodie.com.