Pork Vindaloo

Off lately, the family and I have been watching the BBC food series on our iPad. One of the presenters being Madhur Jaffrey, we love the way she weaves around different states of India, cooking up dishes relevant to the state in exotic locations. Like the Pork Vindaloo, a dish which the Goans prepare a lot. Influenced by the Portuguese settlements that arrived in the early 16th century in Goa, the name Vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese dish "Carne de Vinha d'Alhos", which means a dish of meat(pork) with wine(vin) and garlic(alho). It was fascinating to watch Madhur cook in the famous ruins of the St. Augustine's monastery in Old Goa. She sufficiently inspired me to try the same in my german kitchen and the result being, we have a new found love.

When you do intend to prepare this, I suggest you to plan in advance as this recipe requires overnight marination. 

Ingredients:

• 1250 grams pork, cleaned, washed and cut into big cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tbsps brown/malt vinegar
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 large onions sliced
• 2 medium chopped tomatoes
• 3 slit green chillies
• 3 tbsps oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup water

For the MARINADE:
TO POWDER:

• 12 long dry red chillies
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 3" cinnamon stick
• 12 cloves
• 1/2 tsp pepper corns
• 6 cardamoms

TO GRIND TO A PASTE:

• 12 cloves garlic
• 2" piece ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 5 tbsps vinegar

Method:

1. Apply salt and 5 tbsps brown vinegar to the meat and keep aside for 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile grind the ingredients coarsely mentioned in TO POWDER.
3. Grind the ingredients to a paste mentioned in TO GRIND TO A PASTE.
4. Mix the powdered spices and the ground paste together to form a thick dry paste.
5. Apply half of the above paste to the marinated meat and refrigerate it overnight. Refrigerate the remaining paste too (Pic 1 and 2 above).
6. On the following day, slice the onions, crush the garlic, chop the tomatoes and slit the green chillies.
7. In a deep bottomed vessel heat the oil.
8. When hot, drop in the crushed garlic and fry for a few seconds till you get an aroma.
9. Add the sliced onions and fry till golden brown (Pic 3 above).
10. Drop in the slit green chillies, chopped tomatoes, the remaining paste and sugar. Fry well for about 5 to 8 minutes on high heat. 
11. Add the marinated meat and continue frying for another 5 minutes.
12. Add a cup of water *(see note), bring to simmer and cook for 45 minutes on medium heat.
13. Adjust salt to taste, remove from heat and garnish with slit green chillies.
14. Pork Vindaloo can be had with rice or bread of your choice.

Notes:

1. You can substitute brown with white vinegar.
2. The water that has been used to clean the mixer of the ground paste can be kept aside and used in the preparation.
3. Pork Vindaloo can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator. The longer you keep it, the better it tastes with each passing day.