Lamb Vindaloo – Fighting the Cold with Heat from the Inside

With winter well and truely here we can start warming up to the comfort of slowly cooked food and the way it makes us feel so satisfied. A curry is great, because there is such a wide variety to choose from and also because you can make large quantities without comprimising the flavour. We have chosen a Vindaloo, a hot yet subtle option from India.

The Vindaloo curry is a product of the trade between India and Portugal and was originally made using cuts of pork that had been preserved in vinegar and chilli, giving the dish quite a tart flavour, which soon gives way to the burn of the chilli. We have used lamb for our version but you can use whatever meat you choose, just make sure to keep cooking time in mind.

This recipe yields 10 portions.

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg lamb knuckle, bone in
• 1 kg lamb goulash, a little fat adds to the flavour
• 100ml brown vinegar
• 40ml canola or any seed oil
• 3 tbs smoked paprika
• 3 tbs cayenne pepper
• 3 tbs chilli flakes
• 2 pods of cardamon
• 2 tbs cumin powder
• 3 whole dried chillies
• 5 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic. minced
• 3 tbs minced ginger
• 3 tins tomato puree
• 2 tins tomato paste
• 750ml good lamb or mutton stock
• 250g plain yoghurt
• 60g fresh coriander to serve
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Combine all the dry spices with the meat, vinegar and one tin of the tomato puree. This recipe works best if you marinade the meat overnight but about 2 hours will do.
2. Heat oil on a high heat in a heavy based pot and add the onions. Fry for about 3 minutes until the onions are soft. Next add the chilli, garlic and ginger and fry for a further 2 minutes,
3. Add the marinated meat and stir making sure all sides have been sealed. Add the the stock, tomato puree, tomato paste and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the curry and cook for about 1 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
4. Once the meat is cooked, season to taste and remove from the heat.
5. Allow the curry to stand for about 30 minutes before adding the yoghurt because if the curry is too hot the yoghurt will curdle.
6. Serve the curry hot and garnish with the fresh coriander.

Get your friends to bring the side dishes for this dish. We suggest rotis, a large bowl of basmati rice, tomato and feta salsa, and a yoghurt and cucumber raita to dull the heat. The best part about eating Asian cuisine is combining flavours and different textures.

Chef’s Tip: Make the curry the night before, it will allow all the ingredients to bond and cement their flavours in the curry. If you really feel like stepping out, use lamb shanks, this is bound to impress.

View more from our ‘Dinner Party Recipes‘ series.

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