Vindaloo

Well, I haven’t posted here much lately.  This weekend is a “be-nice-to-me-weekend”.  As a result I’m cooking up an old favourite of myself and some of my geeky friends.  The original recipe for this version of vindaloo was done on the Canadian Living Cooks show that used to appear on FoodTV in Canada.  I’ve tweaked it to my liking and here it is.

Ingredients
3 lbs (1.5 kgs) meat.  Beef, pork and chicken all work wonderfully.
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 large onion (approximately 3-4 inches in diameter) chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 thumbs minced gingerroot
4 small hot peppers, chopped
2 tbsp grainy mustard
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves

Directions
Cut the meat into cubes abut 1 inch in size. Mix flour, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cloves in a plastic bag. Add the meat to the bag in small portions and shake until coated. Remove the meat and set to the side. Reserve the remaining spice mixture for later use.

Brown the meat in a large saucepan, heated at medium-high, with a small amount of vegetable or olive oil.  It’s easiest to do this in small portions that just about cover the bottom of the pot.  Remove the meat and place on a plate.

Reduce the saucepan to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, ginger, mustard, hot peppers and half of the vinegar.  Stir while scraping the leftover browned meat from the bottom of the pot.  Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and remaining vinegar, and bring to a boil.  Return the meat and any juices to the saucepan and add the bay leaves.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer (stirring occasionally) for 30 minutes.  Uncover and let simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.  Discard the bay leaves and serve with a fragrant rice.

Serves 4-8 people