In India, not many people are used to eating pork or beef but if you grow up in Shillong, it's tough to ignore it. One of the most popular dishes in Shillong is 'Jadoh' - a pork and rice dish found in every corner of the street.
Few months back, my friend Madhu opened a group in Facebook called 'Pork-Lover' and asked me if I could cook something special for the group. Well, why not! what are friends for 🙂 I have always enjoyed this red meat and decided to try Pork Vindaloo.
Vindaloo is originally derived from the Portuguese dish "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos" which is made with pork, wine and garlic. The dish was modified by addition of vinegar instead of wine and lots of kashmir chilies, which gives a rich color to the dish without making it too hot!
I have always wanted to try this recipe at home but my only concern was to convince Arvind. He is not a fan of red meat and specially, when it's in a curry. He prefers grilled red meat along with mashed potatoes. Having said that, he is one of those people who don't mind trying out any recipe, which makes me a very happy food blogger 😉
When it comes to a dish like Vindaloo, you need a lot of patience. Letting the meat marinate overnight is a must and then once it's cooked, you need to let it rest for another night. Trust me it will be worth the wait! Also, it's a slow cooking process and that's how all the spices combine to make the dish flavorful with the soft and juicy meat.
I used boneless meat and if you don't eat pork, you can try it with chicken too. Cooking time will differ depending on the meat you are using. Also, some people may prefer to boil the meat in advance, which will also reduce the entire cooking time.
We enjoyed it with cumin rice and a simple salad. This simple salad goes perfect with this spicy curry and back at home, it was a tradition to make this salad every time we ate any meat curry.
The salad is made from cucumber and tomato, cut into bite size pieces, dressed with salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh cilantro. Simple and quick!
Please feel free to add yourself in the group if you are a pork lover. It will make my friend and me very happy 🙂
Pork Vindaloo
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork (cut into bite size pieces)
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 cup red wine (I used zinfandel)
- salt
- oil
- cilantro (for garnish)
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
For the vindaloo paste :
- 6 to 8 kashmir chilies
- 1 inch ginger (grated)
- 6 garlic cloves (finely grated)
- 2 tbs cumin seeds
- 6 to 8 whole peppers
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 2 tbs coriander seeds
- juice of one lemon
- salt
Instructions
- In a pan, dry roast kashmir chili, cumin seed, whole pepper, cardamom seeds and coriander seeds separately for about 2 minutes.
- Once done, let them cool and then, grind them to a fine dust.
- Add lemon juice, garlic, ginger and salt to them and mix it properly.
- Rub the spice mix on the pork and let it marinate for 8 hrs minimum or overnight.
- In a deep pan, heat some oil and fry the pork pieces individually. Retain the juice from marination as it will be used later.
- Once fried, keep the pork pieces aside.
- In the same pan, add the cinnamon stick and onion and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add tomato and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Pour the cooked onion and tomato into a food processor and blend it to a course paste.
- Pour it back to the pan and add the fried pork. Also, add the remaining juice from the marinade.
- Cook for few more minutes and add 1 cup water.
- Cover the pan and let it simmer in low heat for about 30 minutes.
- The water should be reduced and the pork should be almost cooked.
- At this point, add the wine and mix it properly. Then, cover the pan and let it simmer for another 30 to 40 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.
- Check for salt and add if required.
- Once the pork is boiled and soft, switch off the heat and cover the pan. Let it rest for at-least an hour. If you want the best flavor from the dish, let it rest overnight before you enjoy it!
Notes
Nutrition
tigerfish
Indeed. I would think pork/beef is not that "main-stream" in India. I am quite surprised by a pork vindaloo dish.
Manju
thanks for that recipe, girl! been looking out for a good vindaloo recipe and in general pork recipes are difficult to find in Indian cuisine!Its like you read my mind! 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
That surely looks mouth-wateringly delicious. I am drooling all over 😀
sarah
Wow- this sounds totally fantastic- and your photos make me want to dive right in!
lisaiscooking
That's true, you rarely hear about the use of pork or beef in Indian cooking. I don't actually eat red meat, but I'd love to try this with chicken!
tanja@tanjascookingcorner
I have never had Vindaloo dish before, but would really like to try it! Your photos are beautiful, they make me want to start cooking (and eating :D) this lovely dish ASAP, Kankana!!!
Jeno @ Week Nite Meals
Kankana!!! I haven't received any email notifications from you for a while, didn't know it was a technical issue. The pork dish looks so yummy, and the photos are gorgeous. though I am not sure whether it's possible to wait and eat the dish a day after it's been done cooking...
gloria
Look delicious and I love the pictures!
sally
Great photos! The vindaloo paste sounds fantastic!
Kitchen Belleicious
My husband and I were just talking over the weekend about how much we love pork. Besides seafood it is our favorite thing. This dish looks fantastic with all those yummy flavors! I am so bookmarking this for a wonderful dinner to come! Thanks
Rosa
So tasty! That pork vindaloo must be exquisite.
Cheers,
Rosa
Candace
I've never had Vindaloo; but I would love to try it sometime. It looks delicious! I love the salad that you served with it too. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Charles
Eesh, vindaloo I find a little on the spicy side for my poor tongue - at least the experiences I've had with it in the past - but of course I can always just add fewer chillies. Lovely to see such a great looking curry paste made from scratch and even though I suspect it is quite hot it sounds delicious! I love the look of that salad too! Beautiful post - thanks for sharing it 🙂
Shinta
Oooh I love Pork! I was raised in Goa, and vindaloo is one of my all-time favorites. In fact the spicier the better. Had posted a recipe some time back. I am definitely joining this group.
Kala
It looks delicious and beautiful to eat!
nisha
love pork in any form..vindaloo even better:)
Tes
I have never had Vindaloo dish before. I will really love to try this... I think I can do the same with lamb, right 🙂
Baker Street
I love prawn vindaloo every now and then. Not a big fan of pork. Your recipe sounds perfect.
Lovely clicks K!
Manu
I love vindaloo... and pork! I have never made it at home as my hubby (who is Goan!) keeps telling me it is too spicy for him (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) LOL But I am going to make it anyway one of these days!!! hehehehe Yours look amazing, it looks moist and tender! Yum!
Spandana
Lovely Clicks Kankana...
I love Lamb vindaloo.. will try your recipe soon 🙂