Our 50th Post ! Goan Pork Vindaloo

Personally for me , The Hungry boy is the best outcome of the Covid 19 quarantine period . A food blog has long been on my mind and i am very happy , i am finally able to document all my creations here for a larger audience and more so , for myself . Also , today , being Sunday and the occassion of my 50th post , it had to be a special cook and so , happy to share this very aromatic Goan Pork Vindaloo recipe .

This recipe is inherited from my mom - Ma is a home science student and she always refers for this recipe an age old food encyclopedia , which was supposedly a part of her study material back in college . This book still exists - it has its best recipes bookmarked and has till date not seen a handover to the future generations . The wealth of knowledge , tips and recipes it beholds is as per Ma , her key to being the domestic goddess . Addition of the curry leaves is a little adaptation from my end but the original vindaloo recipe has no curry leaves in it .

The word vindaloo is a garbled pronunciation of the popular Portuguese dish carne de vinha d'alhos (meat marinated in wine-vinegar and garlic), which made its way to India in the 15th century along with Portuguese explorers . Pork Vindaloo is a traditional Goan delicacy where the meat is flavored with sweet and tangy flavours of vinegar , lots of chillies, ginger, garlic and then fried to perfection .

Things you will need :

• 500- 800 gms pork meat , cubed into desired pieces

• 4 red chillies , soaked in 1/3 cup vinegar for 2 hours

• 01 whole onion , roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp garlic , peeled and finely chopped

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder

• 02 - 03 green chillies , finely chopped

• 250 gm button onions-peeled

• 1 tsp salt or to taste

• Curry Leaves ( optional )

• 01 cup water

• 3 Tbsp oil

Steps to Follow :

• Grind the onion , vinegar soaked chillies , salt , ginger and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the soaked white vinegar to create a smooth paste.

• Place the meat in a mixing bowl and rub the meat with the spice-vinegar paste - keep aside to marinate for up to an hour .

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker - add in the cumin seeds , curry leaves and button onions and saute till golden brown , for up to approximately 5 mins

• Next , add the pre- marinated pork and cook it , stirring frequently, until the pork cubes have firmed .

• At this point , add the Kashmiri chilli powder and braise the meat on low heat for 20 mins , stirring continuously to avoid burning .

• Pour in the water and remaining vinegar juice and mix well

• Pressure cook the meat for 02 whistles .

• Once done , stir in the remaining chopped green chilli's and cook uncovered till the vindaloo has thickened , about 10 more minutes ( We kept ours semi -dry but you can adjust the gravy as per your liking )

• Season to taste with salt before serving.