Goan Pork Vindaloo - A yummy dish with a fascinating history

Who would have thought that spices could change the whole world? Personally, I didn't!! 

Spices were very precious and not only used in cooking, but also as medicines. The Spanish and the Portuguese were the first to set out on voyages to the Indies to find spices at their source. After Columbus came back from America claiming to have found the Indies....... it was Vasco Da Gama’s turn to take a shot..... and reached Calicut on 20th May 1498 via the Cape of Good Hope. Calicut back then was the main port for the global spice trade.....although the main cargo was black pepper, the so-called “king of spices”. The discovery of India acted as a catalyst for a whole new era of world history. It opened up a route to reach India from Europe. Blood was shed, ships were drowned, seamen died from scurvy but that didn’t stop the Europeans from coming to India.

After many years, Portugal attacked Goa and took hold of the whole island. Goa remained a Portuguese colony for 500 years....which led to a very different population and culture in Goa compared to the rest of India. Among other things, their food was highly influenced by the Portuguese. The Goanese food item that's most commonly known in the West is the vindaloo. 

The vindaloo comes from the Portuguese Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos, that is, pork with wine and garlic. As wine was not readily available in India, it was substituted with palm vinegar and Kashmiri chilies. It does not contain tomato neither there is any aloo (potato). A vindaloo is not supposed to be fiery hot either. 

For so much of history for this wonderful dish which I've eaten a number of times.....and since my last visit to Goa was still fresh in my mind.....I had to try making it myself. Explored the Internet for the recipe....mixed and matched to my liking and this is what I've got. 


Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
Pork chops: 1.5 kg
Onion: One large finely chopped
Kashmiri chillies: around 12 nos.
Garlic pods: 4-6 small ones
Ginger paste: 1 ½ tbsp
Red wine vinegar/regular white vinegar: 1/3 cup
Turmeric: 1 tsp.
Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil: 2 tbsp
            Spices to be roasted:
            Whole cumin seeds: 2 tsp
            Black peppercorn: 1/2 tbsp
            Cinnamon: 2” piece
            Cloves: 4-6 nos.
            Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
            Black mustard seeds: 1 tsp
            Bay leaves: 2 nos.

Method:
Roast the spices under in a dry skillet.
Soak the Kashmiri chillies in vinegar for 2-4 hours.
Grind the chillies with the roasted spices along with the vinegar. You should not need water while grinding, but if needed, add a little bit of water (just enough to help the blender motor).
Make a paste with the ginger and garlic.
Marinate the meat with the red chilli powder-turmeric-chilli spice-ginger-garlic paste for 6 hours-overnight. Mix the meat once or twice while marinating.
Heat up the oil and add the onion.
Sauté until translucent.
Add the meat and cook on medium flame until all the moisture is absorbed and oil starts oozing out. 
Add enough hot water to cover the meat. Add salt to taste, mix it well and cover the pot with a heavy lid.
Turn down the flame to medium low. Cook covered until the meat is cooked and it reaches the desired consistency.

Times like Christmas are made even more special by the foods we love. Hot and tangy, this dish from the heart of beautiful Goa on India's western coast, tastes best with plain boiled rice or Jeera Rice or sannas or neer dosa. Vindaloo is like pickled pork, so it tastes better even after a day or two in the fridge. 

The pork can be substituted with lamb or beef if you do not eat pork.


A yummy dish with so much of history.....well, that's fascinating!!!!