Sunday, 2 August 2020

Goan Pork Vindalho

This is a classic Goan dish that is always served at special occasions.

You do not require any oil in this cooking process as the oil from the pork will naturally come out. It is a very simple dish actually to make, as all it requires is marinating the meat, which must be done at least overnight for the flavours to fully absorb in the meat, and then cooking it later.

Key things to get the best flavor out of this dish are like I mentioned earlier, leaving it to marinate overnight, and once it's cooked, leaving it to sit for at 2-3 days before you actually eat it. This will help the vinegar to soften in flavor and create a depth of flavor to this dish.

It is best enjoyed with Goan Sannas, or with some pav bread.

I have as always, shortened the whole cooking time, by using a pressure cooker still keeping all the goodness and flavor in check, and giving you the most tender meat you can imagine.

To get the right balance of flavor, you must use a mix of lean meat and pork belly fat. you can do it in a 50-50 ratio of a 75-25 ratio. But doing this recipe with just lean meat will not give you the same results. It needs the fat to get that right balance. So if you are weight watching, save this recipe for a time when you aren't counting those calories.
Pork vindalho
Pork Vindalho

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork
2 medium onions
15 Kashmiri dry red chillies
2" piece of ginger
12 garlic cloves
8 cloves
10 peppercorns
2" piece of cinnamon
1 cup of vinegar
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of chilly powder or 2 fresh green chillies
1 1/2 cups of water
salt to taste
Pork Vindalho
Pork Vindalho

Method:
Grind the Kashmiri chillies to a powder first. Add in the cumin seeds, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and cloves. Grind again. Add in the onions roughly chopped and turmeric powder,  next into the mixer. Grind. Lastly add the vinegar into the grinder. This time you should get a nice paste.

Salt the pork cubes and add in the spice paste. Clingwrap and let it sit overnight.

The next day, add the marinated pork into the pressure cooker. Put the heat on and let it cook, till the gravy gets a bit hot. Add in the sugar, and the water and cover the cooker. Put the heat on full and let it whistle. Lower and time for  25-30 minutes. Open the lid carefully with a fork and check for flavor. I wanted it a bit more spicier so I added 1 tsp of chilly powder at this stage. You could also add in a few green chillies instead. Cook this time, without the lid for a few minutes, When you see the oil separating from the curry, you know it's ready to go. Turn off the heat and transfer to a glass dish.

Remember to keep this in the fridge for at least 2-3 days to get the full flavour. Serve hot with sannas for pav bread.
Pork Vindalho
Pork Vindalho

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