Description
Chicken Vindaloo is a wonderfully fragrant and beautiful Indian curry that cooks in a flavor bomb paste, a rich sauce with the best aromatics and whole spices.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Vindaloo Paste
- 6 Kashmiri chilies OR dried chilies (See options below under Note 1.)
- 2 tbsps coriander seeds
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick (broken into 2 or 3 parts)
- 4 cardamom seeds
- 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin (jeera seeds)
- 6 cloves garlic (ginger is optional & not added in this recipe)
- 1/4 cup vinegar (regular white, red wine or apple cider)
- 3/4 cup water
Chicken curry
- 1 kg chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
- 5 tbsps. oil
- 1 onion (diced (and a pinch of salt to cook with the onions))
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp mild red curry powder (or paprika for the color)
- 1 /2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 /4 tsp mild curry powder
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes (half of 410g can)
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 1 /4 cup red wine (not authentic to vindaloo as substituted with vinegar so please feel free to omit)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/3 cups water
- curry leaves (a few in the hand, maybe 6 or so)
- chopped coriander to garnish
Instructions
Make the vindaloo paste
- Add the whole spices to a dry pan to toast setting aside any ground spices that you may be substituting with if you can't find whole spices. See Note 2Roast till the aroma fills the kitchen and the spices turn a deeper golden brown. Don't let them burn! Medium heat, stay close and 3 to 4 minutes give and take. Once toasted, let them cool down for a few seconds before transferring to a blender. Add any ground spices you've set aside, garlic, (ginger if using), vinegar and water. Blend.
- Slice the chicken breasts into cubes.
- Pour the paste from the blender over the chicken making sure that it's well coated. Cover with a lid and leave to marinade for 2 hours.
Curry sauce for the chicken
- Heat the oil and add the onions and pinch of salt to cook. 2 to 3 minutes or till the onions are soft and shimmering.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Stir, cook for a minute or so.
- Add the mild red curry powder, turmeric, and mild curry powder. More on this under Note 3. Cook till the spices are cooked in, stir, another minute or so.
- Tomato paste goes in, stir it into the spices while cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. Allow the paste to cook well into the onion and spices.
- Get the tomatoes in, in 2 parts, a little first, stir and mix and then add the remaining tomatoes and salt to taste. Once the tomato juices cook out, add the wine. Cook till evaporated, 2 minutes.
- Return the marinated chicken in the vindaloo paste and add it all into the pot. Make sure to add water to the empty container and toss that in as well. Give everything a good mix.
- Add the sugar, mix, lid on and leave to cook for 30 to 35 minutes. During cooking, keep lifting the lid and give it a stir to make sure it's not sticking. Halfway through, add the curry leaves, stir and continue cooking with the lid on for another 10 minutes.
- In the last 5 to 8 minutes or so remove the lid and cook the chicken vindaloo finish uncovered for any excess liquid to cook out.
- Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve with rice or naan.
Notes
Type of chilies to use
Note 1
If you can't find Kashmiri chillies (authentic to this recipe), these are your other best options since regular curry powder is perhaps too hot to replace the mild taste of Kashmiri:
- dried chilies (fresh chilies that have been dried)
- make a mix of sweet paprika, smoked paprika and cayenne
The disadvantage of using regular dried chilies is that you don't get the vibrant red color as you would get from the Kashmiri chilies so in order to try and bring the color out make sure to add the paprika to give it pop of color and mix it with cayenne if you want the heat.
Choosing Kashmiri or Dry Chillies
- Make sure to find ones that are red not half brown/red and they should also be sealed if buying in a packet form.
- Feel free to take the seeds out for less heat or half and half for a more medium effect and don't forget to wear gloves or wash your hands.
- Soak them in hot water for an hour and you will notice that the skin looks much more less creased.
Spices
Note 2
- If you can't find all the whole spices then use ground. You can also use both whole and ground.
- Feel free to omit the mild red curry powder or paprika from the curry and add it instead to the paste, this is purely for the color.
Note that we've left the ginger out of the paste but added ginger to the curry.
Note 3
Red curry powder and Mild curry powder you can find in any grocery outlet.
You can also omit the mild and use 1/2 tsp of mustard powder and omit the red curry powder for 1 teaspoon of paprika.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Calories: 539
- Sugar: 9
- Sodium: 916
- Fat: 26
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 56
- Cholesterol: 160