I really love flavourful food, but I’m incredibly sensitive to chilli of any kind, so even when there was a kosher Indian restaurant in London, I sat by and watched my family and friends enjoy curry while I ate plain rice. Here is my recreation of a Lamb vindaloo, with much thanks to our friends Mazal Joseph and Sass Levy, both born in India, who helped me test the recipe and proclaimed it worthy despite the lack of chilli!
I have also made this dish in an instant pot, it would work just as well in a pressure cooker, but I have yet to test it in a more conventional cooking method.
- Vindaloo curry spice mix (makes twice the amount you will need):
- 1½ tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1½ tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
- 1½ teaspoon black peppercorn
- 1 whole clove
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For lamb vindaloo:
- 2 kilo (4.4 lbs) lamb shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 3-5cm (1½ -2 inch) pieces
- Kosher salt
- 710ml (3 cups) chicken broth
- 3 onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup vindaloo curry powder
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 400g (14 ounce) tin (can) chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
For the Vindaloo Spice Mix:
- Process all the spices in an electric spice grinder or in a pestle and mortar until finely ground. Can be made and stored for up to a month in an airtight container.
For the Lamb Vindaloo:
- Season the lamb all over with kosher salt. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, once hot add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, brown the lamb on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan, you will have to do the browning in two or three batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove the browned lamb onto a plate.
- Once all the lamb has been browned, use about half a cup of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits. Pour the deglazed liquid back into the measure of chicken broth.
- Heat the Instant Pot to medium on the saute setting, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onions and cook stirring constantly until the onions have softened. Add the spice mix and garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the flour and stir until evenly distributed.
- Stir in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to help scrape up all the brown stuck on bits (****SUPER IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THAT NO BITS OF ONION OR SPICE ARE STUCK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE INSTANT POT****)
- Add the tin (can) of diced tomatoes, along with the sugar.
- Seal the Instant Pot, set it to pressure cook for 30 minutes, have it naturally depressurize for 10 minutes, and then force depressurize for 5 minutes.
- Open up the Instant Pot and turn it onto saute, Add the vinegar and stir.
- In a small bowl combine the 2 tablespoons cornflour (corn starch) with 2 tablespoons of water, stir to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the curry and bring to the boil, keep boiling until the sauce starts to thicken up and look glossy, stir in fresh coriander. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
