Topic: CA's Chicken Vindaloo

[Cory Ander]

CA's Chicken Vindaloo (hot, spicy, garlicky, tomatoey, tangy sauce, with potato)

serves 1-2

Ingredients:

- 300g skinless chicken breast (chopped into approximately 1 inch cubes)
- 75 ml spiced oil (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3295.msg34667#msg34667)
- 2 tsp fresh garlic (pureed)
- 0.5 tsp fresh ginger (pureed)
- 1.5 tbsp tomato paste (diluted to a puree with 5 tbsp water)
- 300ml curry base (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3772.0)
- 1 tsp curry masala (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3765.0)
- 1 tsp curry powder (any decent mild or medium one, or paste, will do)
- 2 tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
- 0.25 tsp milled black peppercorns
- 0.25 tsp tandoori masala (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1514.0) - optional
- 0.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp vinegar (or to taste)
- fresh chopped coriander (to taste)
- 1 par-cooked potato (halved) - optional
- 1 tsp fresh chillies (finely chopped) - optional

Par-cooked Potato:

- Peel and half a medium/large potato
- Boil in water, until par-cooked, with 0.5.tsp salt, 0.5 tsp turmeric, 0.5 tsp cumin seeds (optional), 1 tbsp spiced oil (do not overcook!)

Method:

- Heat curry base to a gentle simmer
- Heat oil in suitable pan (I use a cast iron wok) until almost smoking
- Add chicken and fry for a couple of minutes, on high heat, with continuous stirring, until sealed (i.e. just white on the outside)
- Add garlic and ginger (and fresh chillies, if using) and fry, for a minute or so, with continuous stirring (do not burn!)
- Remove from heat and add chilli powder, curry masala, curry powder (or paste) and tandoori masala (if using)
- Stir, to coat the chicken, and return to heat
- Immediately add tomato puree, stirring continually
- Fry for 30 seconds or so, on high heat, with continuous stirring (do not burn!)
- Add a ladle of curry base and stir
- Continue to add the curry base, a ladle at a time, stirring occasionally as the water evaporates and the sauce thickens
- Add salt, sugar and vinegar to taste and stir
- Add par-cooked potato (if using)
- Continue to simmer, on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to separate (5 to 10 minutes)
- Add fresh coriander to taste
- Serve

Notes:

- You can use any other oil (e.g. vegetable oil, sunflower oil or canola oil) rather than spiced oil, if you prefer, but the result may be different
- You can use any other decent, mildly spiced, curry base, if you prefer, but the result may be different
- You can use any other decent spice mix or curry powder, or paste, in place of the masala, if you prefer, but the result may be different
- You can use any other precooked meat (or prawns) - just add it, after adding the first ladle of curry base, and make sure it is heated thoroughly

Below is a photo of the resultant chicken vindaloo:

[Yousef]

CA,

That looks lovely, i just go to try this one.

Stew
ps, are you using the image hosting solution i got sorted for your images?  if not and your using free hosting like imageshack then please note that the images will automatically be removed from their server after a defined period.  This will leave the post without the pic.
Please can you have a go with the CR0 hosting solution http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost

[Cory Ander]

Please can you have a go with the CR0 hosting solution http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost

No worries Stew, I'll change them over....

...done....too easy! 

[Mikka1]

CA this looks wonderful pal. 
I may give this a go sometime next week. You are a good photographer as well. Kudos.

[JerryM]

CA,

having had 2nd prompt on this by Mikka's post i think i will give this a go before the Ceylon. The memory of the hotness put me off initially but i realised i can always reduce the chilli a little if i need to.

is the vinegar the clear (i saw in another post that's what's used) and i guess the sugar is optional. also in writing a sticky out and comparing it to the Ceylon i saw the dreaded lemon juice in the Ceylon - is there any specific reason for the use of vinegar in the vindaloo or is this a key difference from madras.

i've not made vindaloo before but i certainly know the taste. very much looking fwd to it.

[Cory Ander]

Hi Jerry,

is the vinegar the clear

I don't think it much matters Jerry

i guess the sugar is optional

It is (i.e. "or to taste").  However, I find that sugar really brings out flavours.  Perhaps add a little at a time and see how it changes it?

i saw the dreaded lemon juice in the Ceylon - is there any specific reason for the use of vinegar in the vindaloo or is this a key difference from madras

Nothing wrong with using lemon juice, in my opinion, Jerry.  You could use lemon juice, instead of vinegar, if you like but, to my mind, vinegar adds the tartness/tanginess without adding the lemoniness (obviously).  Vinegar (or some form of vinegar) is also more in keeping with the "traditional" origins of a vindaloo.

The key difference (to me) between a madras and a vindaloo is that a vindaloo is hotter.  Other than that, I think a vindaloo is often more garlicky and more tangy (and debatably more tomatoey) than a madras (and often with potato)

You could simply take a madras recipe and add more chilli (of whatever form), if you prefer.

However, all these things are highly debatable, as I'm sure SS is bound to attest 

i've not made vindaloo before but i certainly know the taste. very much looking fwd to it.

I look forward to hearing how you get on, bearing in mind that, if you change things too substantially, it really may no longer be a vindaloo! 

Nevertheless, I suppose the "secret" is to adapt any recipe to your own particular liking...

[JerryM]

CA,

thanks CA. i don't think i'm ready to branch out into vindaloo analysis just yet (need to sort chilli sauce 1st) but certainly going to give your recipe ago next week.

my interest was that i've always detected a big/huge difference in taste between madras and vindaloo in BIR (in addition to the heat). the madras for me being tomatoey whilst the vindaloo is far from it (dark).

i stopped having vindaloo down to the heat - it's ok if u're eating it regular. hence ended up going for madras. i did however always prefer the depth of taste in vindaloo. for future it's now possible that i could have cake and eat it so to speak - i'm thinking a madras hot vindaloo. obviously not on BIR menu and may not be possible but well worth an enjoyable try.

i will stick with vinegar and try a little sugar - as u suggest

[pforkes]

I used thigh meat (not breast) and used a different tandoori masala mix.  Also, I had no corriander, so I did not add it and I used a tin of whole new potatoes instead of par boiling my own.

It was good, but not great (may be when I finish it off for breakfast, tomorrow it will be better). 

Having said this, I'll be doing it again, as it is better than any I have made previously, and I'll be working on this some more.

[Cory Ander]

It was good, but not great

What did you feel was lacking PF?  From your photo, I'd say you could try reducing the sauce a little more, on high heat, after adding the curry base.  This should thicken the sauce, create a better consistency and generate a little more flavour.  Scoop any excess oil from the surface, if necessary.  Thanks for trying it and reporting back with your photo 

[Cory Ander]

PS:  I've copied your photo to the cr0 photo hosting website (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/) and linked it to there.  I hope you don't mind.  That way, the forum can ensure that it doesn't lose the photos, some time in the future