Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Vindaloo

"March Potluck", time for our monthly potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC).  And for this week, I'm cooking with Jamie Oliver, with my selected dish, Vindaloo.

A word of warning from Jamie Oliver on this dish "this is a hot curry and not for the faint-hearted, but you can always remove the chile."  Removing the chili is a no-no for me, vindaloo is supposed to be hot and sour! Just like Jamie says, this is a HOT CURRY, at least for the faint-hearted, not me, not me!  hehe! 


Jamie has given the option of using Patak's Vindaloo paste or make your own by using his Vindaloo paste recipe. I have opted to make my own, which is much cheaper and very easy to make. Whole spices are toasted and process to a powder. They are then processed in a food processor along with the rest of the paste ingredients until the paste is smooth. 

I have cooked about a kilogram of pork meat, and have increased all the spices in the recipes by half. The recipe is meant to cook about 800gm of meat. And go easy on the balsamic vinegar, start with a lesser amount first. I 've used about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar in total and the sourness is just right. From the recipe, the pork and the vindaloo paste are to be added to the pot at the same time, so I have marinated the pork meat with the vindaloo paste and keep in the refrigerator for about half an hour, then proceed with the instructions in the recipe.


I've used the amount of water stated in the recipe, which is 1-2/3 cups and there's no need for additional water at all during the braising, keep checking and stirring often to prevent the vindaloo from sticking to the pot. By the time the dish is done, the vindaloo has a fair amount of lovely thick gravy. 


We ate this with jasmine rice. How does the family rate? This is too spicy for hubby, he was sweating while eating the Pork Vindaloo with rice! And my son, he loves it, even though it is too hot for him too. He insists on eating this dish, with a big glass of water next to his plate. The daughter, tried a piece, as she was recovering from a cough. As for me, well, it is quite delicious, and since I'm a person who can take a fair amount of heat, this dish is not all that spicy, but moderately so. The spiciness comes mostly from the black pepper and the chillies, though I can feel that mostly the heat is from the black pepper. For a milder taste, reduce the amount for these two ingredients. There was some leftovers, and the next day, in spite of the spiciness, both son and hubby ask for it again! And it tastes much better the next day, as with most curries.

Update on our current weather, it rained heavily two days ago, and again yesterday! Which was a relief to everyone! The haze has significantly reduced and the weather is a little cooler. I got soaked when fetching my daughter yesterday, from the heavy downpour, but I don't mind! Let it rain! Much as we welcome the rain, most importantly, hopefully it rained at the water catchment areas and over at the dams, as the water level has reached a critical stage, and we are experiencing water rationing at the moment. Like today, in my area, we have dry taps which will last until tomorrow. No cooking or baking! :o(


Vindaloo
(adapted from "Jamie's Food Revolution", Jamie Oliver)
Serves 4-6
2 medium onions
4 cloves of garlic
1-2 fresh red or green chillies, to your taste
a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
4 ripe tomatoes
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter
1-3/4 pounds diced pork shoulder, preferably free-range or organic
1/2 cup vindaloo or hot curry paste, such as Patak's or my vindaloo paste (refer below*)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (I used 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup natural yoghurt (for serving)
1 lemon (for serving)

To prepare your curry
Peel, halve, and finely slice your onions. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice the chile. Peel and finely slice the ginger. Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters

To cook your curry
Get a large casserole-type pan on a medium to high heat and add a couple of lugs of peanut oil and the butter. Add the onions, garlic, chile, ginger, and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes, until softened and golden. Add the pork and the curry paste. Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, honey and about 1-2/3 cups of water; enough to cover everything, and stir again. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. Check the curry regularly to make sure it's not sticking to the pan, and add extra water if necessary. Only when the meat is tender and cooked, taste and season with salt and pepper - please season carefully. (Already spicy, there's no need to season with more pepper!)

To serve your curry
Serve with fluffy rice and with a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt dolloped on top. Sprinkle over the cilantro leaves and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.


Vindaloo Paste
(adapted from "Jamie's Food Revolution", Jamie Oliver)
2 cloves garlic
a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
4 dried red chillies
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 fresh red or green chillies
a small bunch of fresh cilantro

Spices for roasting :
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

To make the vindaloo paste :
First peel the garlic and ginger. Put a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the spices for toasting to the dry pan. Lightly toast them for a few minutes until golden brown and smelling delicious, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar and grind until fine, or put them into a food processor and whiz to a powder. Either way, when you've ground them, whiz the toasted spices in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth paste.

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To view the potluck dishes that everyone has made, do visit I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC).
IHCC Potluck Badge



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I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star, All-Stars Anniversary Party, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy KidsMich of Piece of Cake and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.
(click on any of the hostess blog for further info and to link your posts)

All-Stars Anniversary Party featured chefs :  Ina Garten, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone, Ree Drummond, Bill Granger, Masterchefs, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Donna Hay



See you at the Party!
From 1st March to 30th April!

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28 comments:

  1. Joyce, another yummy curry from you! I have never tried Vindaloo before so I am very keen on this recipe. Like you, I am utterly miserable when I cannot cook or bake. This weekend it is dry taps for me on Saturday and Sunday. I know I will be like a drug addict experiencing withdrawal symptoms LOL! Lets hope it rains heavier at the catchment areas so that this misery can end!

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  2. now this looks like a difficult dish to me but you have done it! so clap clap! it looks soooo good..... i have basmati rice at home.. how nice if i can grab a tiffin of this off ya

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  3. It sure looks difficult for me too....looking at the long list of ingredients but it sure looks GOOOOOD! I like what Victoria said.....ok I bring my tiffin along too.....hehehehhe....

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  4. Simply awesome and lovely looking vindaloo. Wonderful preparation.
    Deepa

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  5. This is so delicious, Joyce. I wish I could have those gravy for my bread :-))

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  6. Agreed with Angie, would be so delicious with bread or roti...the gravy looks so thick and flavorful!

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  7. I don't eat porks, but i know your dish must be really wonderful.

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  8. Joyce , I like the look of this sour and spicy dish ! The aromatics sounds wonderful and almost all of them are in my stash :D I just borrowed Jamie's 15 minute meals book , hopefully , I won't be too lazy to make at least one of his easy recipe :P

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  9. Joyce, I think I was the one that J.Oliver meant as I can't eat spicy food. You even increased the quantity of the ingredients, if I make, I think I will reduce by 1/2. hahaha. The colour looks very nice & I like pork.

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  10. now that is a rich dish! Love the flavors and i love spicy food so its perfect for us

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  11. Se ve muy delicioso y picante un gran plato bien preparado por mi querida Yoyce (pero no me gusta Oliver jejej,abrazos.

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  12. Look soo good Joyce!! and love Jamie Oliver's recipes!
    xx

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  13. I definitely wouldn't remove the chili pepper either. Curry SHOULD BE hot!

    Your vindaloo sounds delicious.

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  14. Oh my word - this looks fabulous. Just my kind of curry and those pictures just make me want to reach into my screen and eat it all up.

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  15. I love spicy curry dishes. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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  17. Hi Joyce,

    Happy to that it has been raining at your end... We are getting the last glimpse of sunshine... must cherish these few days and we have to wait for 4-5 months for the real sun to appear again.... sob sob.

    Nice HOT curry!!! I like to cook this too but sad that my son is still not handling spicy hot food very well... Husband and I will be happy :p

    Zoe

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  18. This looks so rich and comforting although I might have to dial down the spices a notch or so--I am borderline wimpy with spicy dishes--I like it a bit spicy but too much gets me coughing. ;-)

    Glad you are getting some rain--it sounds like you needed it. ;-)

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  19. Hi Joyce, feel like dipping a slice of bread into that tempting vindaloo curry! So tempting and irresistible. You have a great week ahead :)

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  20. Your Vindaloo is making my mouth water! Need a huge bowl of rice for this.

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  21. Probably too spicy for us but it looks delicious!

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  22. this looks so good - Vindaloo is one of my fave curries and I love the rich color you achieved. Looks like we both had Indian food on our minds this week.

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  23. Oh sedap nye! So mouthwatering ... droooling! :p

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  24. That looks really delicious and sounds so flavourful, Joyce. A great dish to bring to a potluck!

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  25. Wow! It looks yummy and so mouthwatering. I'm drooling now.
    This is way way too challenging for me. Definitely I'm not at that level to cook this dish.

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  26. Your vindaloo looks wonderful, Joyce, and I agree with you about not removing the chilli - vindaloo is supposed to be hot, and if you don't like the heat try a different dish! I would thoroughly enjoy this dish, and can't wait to give it a try.

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  27. I have been wanting to try a good vindaloo but the legendary heat keeps me away. And, like you said, no heat no vindaloo. What to do what to do. It does look delicious.

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