Stacy: Our relationship is like an addiction. It’s… like…
Dr. House: Really good drugs?
Stacy: No, it’s like… Vindaloo curry.
Curry joints are popular places to eat across the English speaking world, from New York to Nairobi, Sydney to Sheffield and from Durban to Dublin. And Vindaloo is often the most popular dish on the menu. In fact, the Vindaloo has become so popular, it has entered into popular culture in a big way. From being mentioned in the 1978 song ‘I Just Want To Have Something To Do’ by punk rock band, The Ramones, to becoming metaphors for relationships in the witty dialogue of House M.D. Part of the popularity of the Vindaloo is due to the fiery heat of the dish. In the Oxford dictionary the Vindaloo is described as a ‘very hot and spicy curry.’ Despite the Vindaloo’s spicy reputation, the traditional recipe of the Vindaloo is not defined by its heat but rather by its distinctly sour and garlicky flavours.
The Vindaloo is a Goan dish that is a product of Portuguese colonialism and the culture of the south eastern tip of South Asia. Vindaloo derives from the Portuguese dish ‘carne de vinha d’alhos,’ and the traditional version of this dish combines a type of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The Goan version replaces red wine vinegar with palm vinegar and adds Kashmiri chilli powder. Marinating the meat overnight intensifies the tangy flavour of the dish and this works well with the sweet meat of pork. However, one could cook the dish with any meat and Indian restaurants around the world will usually serve chicken or lamb Vindaloo instead of pork.
Here is my version of pork Vindaloo. While the traditional version is not famed for its spiciness, it has become popularly accepted as a spicy dish and I make mine very very spicy.
I bought pork chops and cut it up into cubes, removing all the fat.
I then marinated the meat in white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of chilli powder a tablespoon of crushed fresh ginger and 3 tablespoons of crushed garlic. I marinate the dish for an hour overnight if I have time.
I caramelise two onions and drain off the excess oil.
Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a deep pan.
Add the marinated meat. Cook for an hour, add water as needed so that the meat does not catch.
After an hour add the onions.
Cook until meat is tender and then add a tablespoon of yoghurt.
Thereafter add coriander and serve with roti or rice.
A Moveable Feast 