It’s not from rec.cooking, but this last weekend I made Chicken Vindaloo for the second time from a recipe I found on newsgroups.  It’s delicious, and newsgroups are a great source of cooking advice if you dig in because the sense of community is very strong.  If the primary focus of a technology medium isn’t advertising, you can expect a better functional result, newsgroups > taste.com.au.

Vindaloo isn’t meant to be obnoxiously hot, the Goan curry has more black curry seeds in it than cayenne pepper.  I prefer naan bread or some other source of carbs than rice, so I ate it with “Not Just Naan” from the supermarket (despite the name, the packet did in fact contain just naan).  Give the recipe a go, it’s a bit fiddly to begin with, but delicious.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

  1. 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
  2. 1 tsp black peppercorns
  3. 1 tsp cardamom seeds
  4. 3 in stick cinnamon
  5. 1 1/2 tsp whole black mustard seeds
  6. 1 tsp whole fenugreek seeds
  7. 5 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  8. 1 tsp salt
  9. 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  10. 1 tsp light brown sugar
  11. 10 Tbsp vegetable oil
  12. 2 large chopped brown onions
  13. 6 Tbsp water
  14. 1 in cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  15. 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  16. 1 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
  17. 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  18. 1kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into a very large dice (think matchbox size)
  19. 400g tin of pasata
  20. 600g of large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into six chunks

METHOD

  1. Grind cumin seeds, black pepper, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together in mortar and pestle. In a small bowl, combine ground spices, vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper and brown sugar. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Fry onions, stirring frequently, until they are really quite dark. Take them out with a slotted spoon and put them in a blender with enough water to just make them blendable, don’t throw the oil out. Blend and to an onion paste and add it to the the spices in the bowl. This mixture is the vindaloo paste.
  3. Blend the ginger and garlic under the same circumstances (enough water to make a paste), and fry it in the oil until it starts to brown and the smell changes slightly.  Add the coriander and tumeric.
  4. Brown the chicken, a small handful at a time.
  5. Add the vindaloo paste, tomato sauce and potatoes to the chicken in the saucepan. If the liquid doesn’t cover the chicken and potatoes, add a cup of water.  Stir and bring to a slight boil.
  6. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer with the lid half-on for an hour, until the potatoes are tender and the whole sauce has reduced to a think curry gravy.

Image Credit: Johl (cc).  I didn’t photograph mine but used the creative commons licensed image that most looked like mine cooking :-)

{May 3, 2010} {Tags: , , , }