Topic: 16th Century Vindaloo recipe

[livo]

As the only person in my home eating this dish, I've now had 3 serves.  The last meal I had it with rice, salad, naan and a cucumber raita. The best so far and the raita is very welcome in taking the sting out of the chilli, not that mine is ridiculously hot.  Only 1 serve to go.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Just started making this now, and my advice is "watch the video, keeping notes, before you start".  Not only do the amounts shewn in the video appear to differ significantly from those specified in the prose, there are also serious omissions from the prose such as "2.   When the spices have cooled off a bit, make a paste of these together with [the] ginger, garlic, and wine vinegar". 

Note also that she uses real cinnamon, not faux cinammon (cassia bark).

To be updated (if necessary) when I have finished the preparation.

** Phil.

[Onions]

Thanks Phil-wilco! This will be happening sometime this week.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Sadly my vindaloo did not turn out well, perhaps because (owing to circumstances beyond my control) I was not able to cook it when planned, and the chicken was therefore marinaded for 24 hours rather than four.  I found the taste of cloves over-powering, and ended up picking out the chicken pieces and re-cooking them in another sauce.  I had in the meantime made some pre-cooked potatoes by boiling them in Syed's pre-cook sauce, and they were a nice addition.  I will have another go, this time (a) ensuring that the marinade phase is short, and (b) reducing the amount of  cloves.  I also want to watch the video yet again to try to gain a better estimate of the amounts of things (especially wine vinegar) that she actually uses ...

** Phil (who, too, will be trying the one-pot Indian chicken curry next).

[livo]

My rushed marination of only 2 hours may have been a saving grace then (using pork). It's interesting that the chicken curry is only marinated for 40 minutes in yogurt.  I cut this a bit short as well.  I've seen before where some food scientists argue that long term marination in an acidic medium is detrimental rather than beneficial.

Worth noting that in the chicken curry video she shows that she uses Olive Oil. I used vegetable oil.  I buy either vegetable or canola oil for most * of my general frying, both shallow and deep.  I have no problem using plain olive oil for basic shallow or near dry frying, but I don't use it often.  However, I will not cook in cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.  This is used for dressings only as I don't like the flavour it has when fried and it has a low smoke point.

* peanut oil for Asian cooking in things like fried rice and pad thai.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Just finished up most of yesterday's chicken no-longer-vindaloo, and it was quite pleasant.  I rescued the chicken from the overly-clovey 16th-century vindaloo sauce, put it into some left-over Syed pre-cook sauce, and reduced it down to a near-bhuna consistency.  Rested overnight in the 'fridge and finished off this evening.  Tomorrow the one-pot curry, perhaps.

** Phil.

[livo]

I can't say I noticed excess clove.  I've had Rogan Josh before where clove is a very dominant spice.  My only real concern with the Vindaloo was that it is possibly a bit too heavy on vinegar. I used 50 / 50 red and white wine vinegar but I'm thinking I may reduce it or just use a milder vinegar like low % coconut vinegar or watered down malt vinegar.

[Secret Santa]

I've said this on this forum several times before ... eventually someone will listen and take it in. The original Potuguese Vinha D'alho was a pork dish with red wine vinegar and/or toddy vinegar.

To be specific, it was a fatty-pork dish, and the added acids served the specific purpose of tempering the fat that had rendered from the pork to make it more palatable, forming an emulsion rather than an oil slick. If you're using chicken, unless you're also adding schmaltz (oi vey!), no - or very little - acidic condiment should be added. Traditional vindaloo is not ... I repeat, NOT ... a sour dish.

Having said that, the modern BIR (mis)interpretation of ye olde vindaloo is a hot curry to which in their ignorance, and they should really know better, vinegar is added. That then gives a sour vindaloo (spit!) and if that's what you aim to emulate, well, it's well off the original Potuguese Vinha D'alho.

[livo]

Very interesting SS. The recipe seemed to work for me with pork but Phil didn't think much of the chicken version.  Also interesting to read about the confusion of the "aloo" as meaning to include aloo (ie; potato).  The original version did not, but some modern interpretations do.

With this particular recipe, applied to pork, I could easily sense, sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.  Normally I'd expect all taste elements to blend and balance but this dish created a palate of confused sensation.  I enjoyed it though.  I could actually single out the different parts of the dish.

Forgot to mention, the one pot chicken curry is a very good dish.  Reminds me of the Staff Curry recipes around but with a bit more class.  Very tasty the day after cooking.

[Secret Santa]

Also interesting to read about the confusion of the "aloo" as meaning to include aloo (ie; potato).

That's one bastardisation I'm happy to accept as I don't think a vindaloo is a vindaloo without a few spuds. Although they have to be pre-cooked with spices and so on. The plain boiled potato in a vindaloo is to me about as acceptable as a rat dropping in a stew!