Vindaloo

Vindaloo is not a traditionally Indian dish. In fact, its origins can be traced back to the Portuguese dish "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos" which translates to meat with wine and garlic. In the 1500s, the Portuguese invaded and took over the Goa state of India, and ruled until the 1980s, and it goes without saying that they had a huge influence on the culture there. Carne de Vinha d' Alhos is traditionally made with pork, which is not widely consumed in India. Indians don't so much have a religious aversion to pork as they do a social aversion. For starters, the type of high-nutrient grain necessary to sustain a population of pigs does not grow in India. And as Julie Sahni puts it, Indians approach an animal that will eat anything from anywhere with "suspicion". So eventually, Carne de Vinha d' Alhos was given the Goan treatment and morphed into the dish Vindaloo. Traditionally, it's served with either chicken or lamb. And although not traditional, some also put potato in the dish as kind of a joke ("aloo" means potato in Hindi, but it actually translates to garlic in Portuguese). Vindaloo is not widely eaten outside of the Goan state, and is not a very popular dish in India at all. It gained popularity in Indian restaurants in the UK, the Middle East, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the US.

Generally speaking, when you go to an Indian restaurant Vindaloo will be the spiciest thing on the menu. Some restaurants serve a hotter variation of Vindaloo called Tindaloo, and Phall which is even hotter still. To give you an example of the dangerous nature of Phall, in the Brick Lane Curry House in NYC, when the chef prepares Phall curry he has to wear a gas mask. It's that bad. But honestly, I'm happy with Vindaloo. While I'm all about spicy food, anything hotter than Vindaloo is kind of ridiculous and becomes so hot that you can't enjoy the flavor. I may be tempted to tackle Phall one day, but Vindaloo is really all I need.

Here's the recipe:

Marinade:

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium-sized onion
6 or 7 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons veg oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (toasted)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (toasted)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove

Begin by toasting the cumin and mustard seeds on med-high heat. They should be done when the cumin turns brown and the mustard seeds turn grey. When cool, grind them into a fine powder. Put the Onion (peeled and quartered first), garlic, ginger, cider vinegar, and veg. oil in a blender and blend it until it's pulpy. Transfer to a large container than seals tightly, and add cumin, black mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. Add the meat, and mix thoroughly. Let marinade for at least 8 hours.

1 cup mustard oil (or sub veg oil)
1 1/2 cups onion, sliced thinly
1 inch ball tamarind pulp
1 1/2 teaspoons red chili pepper (Indian)
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika (hot)
1/2 - 1 dried ghost chili, ground down to a fine powder (if you can find them... if not, don't worry about it)
2 teaspoons salt

1. You can be doing this step while you do step #2. Boil 1 1/4 cups of water. Put your tamarind ball in a bowl and pour the boiling water over the tamarind and let it steep 15 minutes. Then strain and discard the pulp. Add the salt to the tamarind infused water.

2. If you're using veg oil you can skip #2. This step, although it seems odd, is extremely important if you're using mustard oil (which, according to the EPA may or may not being suitable for human consumption, but many generations of Indians have done it so I'm not afraid). Heat the oil to it's smoking point. It should turn a little brown. Then remove it from heat and let it cool completely. You get rid of some of the bitterness of the oil by doing this.

3. Reheat the oil on medium-high and add the onions. Fry the onions until they are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Add the spices (chili pepper, turmeric, paprika, and ghost chili, if using). Stir for about 15-20 seconds until completely incorporated.

4. Remove the meat from the marinade and sear, about 10 minutes. Add the tamarind infused water and salt mixture, and the rest of the marinade. Stir to incorporate and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is done. Serve and enjoy!!

-CJ