Vindaloo or Vindalho

September 12, 2008 | By kuntal In Recipes, curry, goan recipes | Comments(0)

Vindaloo now a days, as it stands is a Goan interpretation of the popular Portuguese preparation originally called “Vindalho” which when dissected meant Vinho for wine and alhos for garlic. These two were the integral part of the dish originally made with pork which also contained ginger, pepper and red wine vinegar.

The modern version available in most of the Indian restaurant including the one in Goa is made with lots of chilli, tomato and potato. Potato because some of chefs have presumed that the last word in Vindaloo is equivalent to “aloo” (potato) which most of the Indian likes in some form or the other. The pork used in the Portuguese recipe is not a very popular choice with the Indians and is a complete taboo with the Muslim Chefs; hence it further underwent a complete makeover and local versions made with lamb or chicken are equally popular with undertones of local Goan feni made with cashewnut fruit.

The original recipe is contained in the curry manual available with www.sonzyskitchen.com. However I will try to recreate the most commonly found lamb vindaloo.

Lamb Vindaloo:
1 kg lean lamb, cleaned and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 medium red onion, chopped roughly
1 inch knob ginger, scraped and chopped roughly
10 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup coconut feni
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered and deep fried until crisp
1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves, washed and chopped
Salt to taste

Marinating ingredients
10 dried red chillis (can vary the quantity to suit individual palate)
10 peppercorns
10 cloves
1 medium bark cinnamon
5 nos green cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
1/3 cup malt vinegar

Method:
In a blender, make the paste of marinating ingredients. Marinate the lamb cubes and season a little with salt. Keep aside for 2 hrs to allow the flavour to penetrate inside the meat fibres

In a cooking vessel, heat the oil and fry the lamb, stirring occasionally, until it is light brown on all sides. Add chopped onion, ginger and garlic and continuing frying until the vegetables are brown and cooked. Add turmeric powder and pour in coconut feni and water, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 10-15minutes until lamb is tender and the oil starts floating on top. Check seasoning. Serve hot garnished with deep fried potato wedges and freshly chopped coriander.

Bon Appetit !

- Kuntal

Tags: lentil, desi, curries, vindaloo, dosa, palak, indian food, roti, chana, dal

Chicken Tikka Masala

July 12, 2008 | By sonzy In Recipes, cooking-tips, curry | Comments(0)

Chicken Tikka Masala : Everything you ever wanted to know about it.

Definition : chicken tikka masala , n. • mild curry dish of chicken in a tomato-based sauce, cooked tandoori style (in a charcoal-fired oven). Optional hefty dose of tartrazine lends luminescent orange glow. (As described by BBC)

Chicken tikka masala has a truly postcolonial history, produced when one of the world’s greatest cuisines found itself confronted by a British palette unused to anything spicier than table salt. Legend has it one obstinate diner demanded gravy on tandoori chicken. A bemused chef responded by adding tin of Campbell’s tomato soup and pinch of spices, unwittingly partaking in early example of fusion cookery.

" Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. Chicken Tikka is an Indian dish. The Massala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy. "

- Extract from a speech by British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook.

Facts and Figures about Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM)

Sainsbury’s sell 1.6 million CTM meals every year and stocks 16 CTM-related products including chicken tikka masala pasta sauce. Other derivations include CTM crisps, CTM pizzas, CTM kievs and Marks and Spencer’s famous CTM sandwiches (18 tonnes devoured every week).
A 1998 survey by Real Curry Restaurant Guide of 48 different CTMs found only common ingredient was chicken.
23 million portions a year are sold in Indian restaurants.
10 tonnes of Chicken Tikka Masala a day are produced by Noon Products destined for supermarkets.
Most schools and charities in Sylhet, Bangladesh are run by proceeds from its sales.
Chef Iftekar Haris from Newport, Gwent has written a musical in praise of it.
Organisers of Kingfisher National Curry Day claim that if all the portions sold in one year in UK were stacked they would constitute a tikka tower 2770 times taller than the Greenwich Millennium Dome.

Though there have been around 50 versions of the same dish, I give here a recipe how I would like it.

Ingredients

Part I.

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast

1/4 cup yogurt

3 t. minced ginger

3 t. crushed garlic

1/4 t. white pepper

1/4 t. cumin powder

1/4 t. mace

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. green cardamom powder

1/4 t. chili powder

1/4 t. turmeric

3 T. lemon juice

4 T. vegetable oil

Melted margarine (for basting)

Part II.
5 oz. tomato paste
10 oz. tomato puree
2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped
2 t. ginger paste
2 t. garlic paste
2 t. green chilies
1 T. red chili powder
2 t. cloves
8 green cardamoms
salt to taste
3 T. butter
2/3 cup cream
1 t. fenugreek
2 t. ginger, julienned
honey to taste

Method

Whisk all of the ingredients in Part I together in a large bowl. Add the chicken breast, cut into 2 inch cubes. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake the chicken for 8 minutes, basting with margarine twice. Drain excess marinade and bake for another 2 minutes.

While doing this, make the sauce in Part II. Deseed and chop green chilies. Put tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato puree in a pot and add approximately 4-1/4 cups of water. Add ginger and garlic paste, green chilies, red chili powder, cloves, cardamoms, and salt. Cook over low heat until reduced to a thick sauce. Strain through a strainer and bring to a boil. Add butter and cream. Stir. If the sauce tastes sour, add honey to taste. Add fenugreek and ginger juliennes, stir, and serve with the chicken.

Tags: roti, tandoor, handi, gosht, naan, indian food, indian curry, chicken, karahi, murgh

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Vindaloo or Vindalho

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala : Everything you ever wanted to know about it.

Definition : chicken tikka masala , n. • mild curry dish of chicken in a tomato-based sauce, cooked tandoori style (in a charcoal-fired oven). Optional hefty dose of tartrazine lends luminescent orange glow. (As described by BBC)

- Extract from a speech by British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook.

Facts and Figures about Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM)

Sainsbury’s sell 1.6 million CTM meals every year and stocks 16 CTM-related products including chicken tikka masala pasta sauce. Other derivations include CTM crisps, CTM pizzas, CTM kievs and Marks and Spencer’s famous CTM sandwiches (18 tonnes devoured every week).

A 1998 survey by Real Curry Restaurant Guide of 48 different CTMs found only common ingredient was chicken.

23 million portions a year are sold in Indian restaurants.

10 tonnes of Chicken Tikka Masala a day are produced by Noon Products destined for supermarkets.

Most schools and charities in Sylhet, Bangladesh are run by proceeds from its sales.

Chef Iftekar Haris from Newport, Gwent has written a musical in praise of it.

Organisers of Kingfisher National Curry Day claim that if all the portions sold in one year in UK were stacked they would constitute a tikka tower 2770 times taller than the Greenwich Millennium Dome.