OK. Maybe not every Indian restaurant. But almost all of them. Not easy to find one that doesn’t have it. I’m biased, mind you. Lamb vindaloo is one of my favourites. Right up there with lamb madras. There’s just something about lamb and spicy curries that works. The richness and depth of the lamb plays beautifully against assertive flavours. Balance.
This is not traditional style lamb vindaloo
The title says it. This is restaurant style lamb vindaloo. This is not the classic Goan dish. It’s not pork. There isn’t even that much vinegar here. No description of vinha d’alvos. No romantic story about the Portuguese coming to India. Sorry. This is what you get when you go out for dinner. Pretty much anywhere in the world. Except maybe India. If you want authentic vindaloo like you ate in Goa, this is not it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. What it is is tasty. Really tasty. Lick your plate clean tasty. At least for me.
Vindaloo paste makes this dish
I struggled with restaurant style vindaloo for a long time. Just couldn’t get it right. Because I followed conventional wisdom. Took charming my way into an Indian restaurant kitchen to figure it out. I can’t remember what I was asking about. Maybe their paratha technique. Or their butter chicken base. Who knows? But when I saw a line cook tossing a paste into a pan it all came together for me. And now I use a paste. For vindaloo. Always.
Don’t fear Kashmiri chilies
There are 10 kashmiri chilies in the recipe. And a tsp of kashmiri chili power. It sounds like a lot. You’d think it would be incendiary. But it isn’t. Kashmiri chilies aren’t all that hot. They are a nice balance of spice and chili flavour. I love them because I can add a lot without things getting crazy. Don’t get me wrong though. This is not butter chicken. As written it’s fairly spicy. If you’ve cooked other curries from glebekitchen you’ll know I spice to medium hot. Flavour first. Fire second. That’s how I roll. This one is a little spicier than usual though. But not crazy hot. Still lots of flavour here. If you like a spicier vindaloo just add some hot chili powder in with the dry spices. You know what you like. If you want pretty hot add a teaspoon. If you want a blazing hot go for two teaspoons. It starts to be hot for the sake of being hot at that point. I like flavour so I don’t go past two teaspoons. That’s pushing the flavour towards just tasting like chili powder. I am all about balanced flavours. But it’s your call. It’s your dinner. Do what makes you happy. Be true to yourself. I’m not the curry police.
Lamb vindaloo – the king of curries
King of curries is a pretty strong assertion. Maybe too strong. Everybody has their favourite. But for me it’s up there. Lamb. Spice. Sweet. Sour. There’s complexity of flavour here. As long as you don’t stomp on it with tons of chili powder you’ll see. It may wind up at the top of your list too.
