Indian Restaurant Vindaloo

I'm excited. I'm VERY excited. I've been trying to get someone to teach me how this is done for many years. I've spent the last couple of months making this over and over to get it just right.

I'm not gonna lie--this is a lot of work. That's probably not the best way to write an introduction to the best vindaloo you can make at home. But this is how you make restaurant vindaloo. Indian restaurants like to keep their techniques a secret (actually, it's a few secrets) and rightly so. But I'm going to lay them all out here. Special thanks to Romain from Glebe Kitchen for inspiring this recipe and the techniques I've outlined.

Firstly, if you haven't heard of vindaloo then you probably don't eat Indian food because it is on every Indian restaurant menu I've ever seen (with one exception, but that was also a horrible overall experience and I won't talk about that). Vindaloo comes from the Goan region in India and is typically a moderately spicy dish Elsewhere in the world, it's usually served extra spicy.

As I say, this is a lot of work. But... if you have all of the ingredients ready to go then you can make any vindaloo in 25 minutes. That's right, because we're going to do all of the prep work that a restaurant does beforehand. You may have seen my other home-made Indian recipes on this website. They typically take 1 or 2 hours to make. But you don't expect to wait that long in a restaurant, do you?

Here's the list of things you need to prepare ahead of time:

* Indian Restaurant Spice Mix (Recipe HERE)
* Vindaloo Paste (Recipe HERE)
* Indian Restaurant Curry Base (Recipe HERE)
* 400g Seafood -or- Braised Meat

The proteins go in at the end. This isn't a problem for seafood, which can be cooked in under 5 minutes. But for chicken, beef, lamb and goat, this needs to be cooked low and slow for a few hours beforehand. I usually make a batch of it in a slow cooker and package it into 400g bags then whack them in the freezer).

For frying, you're going to need an aluminium or steel pan. Don't use a non-stick pan because it won't give us the reaction we need. Also, this recipe moves pretty quickly. So make sure you have EVERYTHING ready!

Ingredients

• 50ml Ghee, or clarified butter
• 2 Kashmiri Chillies, dried
• 1 tsp Indian Restaurant Spice Mix (Recipe HERE)
• 1 tsp Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3-5 Tbsp Vindaloo Paste (Recipe HERE)
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 450-500ml Indian Restaurant Curry Base (Recipe HERE)
• 1 tsp Tamarind Paste
• 1 tsp Jaggery, or Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 400g Chicken/Beef/Lamb/Goat or Seafood (pick just one, ok?)

Method

1. Final preparations...
2. In a small bowl, combine the Indian Restaurant Spice Mix, Kasoori Methi and salt (add a tsp of Kashmiri Chilli Powder at this point if you would like it extra hot). Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine Tomato Paste and water, mix well until incorporated. Set aside.
4. Finally, in another small bowl, combine Tamarind Paste, Jaggery (sugar) and Worcestershire Sauce.
5. Ready, Set... GO!
6. Place your pan over a medium heat and add the Ghee. Once hot, add the chillies and fry for 15 seconds on each side. Be careful not to burn them.
7. Heat to low, add the combined Indian Restaurant Spice Mix, Kasoori Methi and salt. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds. You won't notice this mix frying in the pan but be careful not to burn it. If it burns, start again. No compromises here.
8. Add your vindaloo paste and stir constantly until it begins to turn darker. 2-3 minutes.
9. Turn your heat right up to medium high. Add the diluted tomato paste and let in sizzle away for about 30 seconds (There's a Maillard reaction that should take place here and this is what gives the curry it's unique quality).
10. Add one 4ounce ladle (roughly 1/2 cup) of the Curry Base and stir until you see bubbles forming again. This will take around 1 minute or so.
11. Add two ladles (roughly 1 cup) of the Curry Base and stir. Let this cook until you see the bubble again for about 2 minutes.
12. Add another ladle of the Curry Base, reserving a few spoonfuls. Once the bubbles appear again, add the combined Tamarind Paste, Jaggery (sugar) and Worcestershire Sauce. Stir it in well and reduce heat to low.
13. Add your pre-cooked (braised, etc) meat or seafood and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. If the sauce is too dry, add some more of the Curry Base (don't add water--you will ruin it).
14. Serve with Naan (Recipe HERE) and Basmati Rice boiled with Cardomom Seeds and Cloves.