Pork Vindaloo (Na Na Na)

Vindaloo is possibly the most famous curry in this country - it even has a place in one of our national football chants! - but whilst its reputation is one of pure chilli heat, in reality its origins are much more interesting than that...

Vin-daloo is actually from the Portuguese meaning "wine" and "garlic", which the Indians took and made their own swapping the wine for vinegar and adding lots of spices. The result is a heady mix of complex spices (not just heat!) and the sharp, fresh vibrancy of the vinegar running through the dish. This is one of my absolute favourite curries with tender chunks of pork, as with the original dish, but it does work well with either chicken or lamb too.

Pork Vindaloo (Na Na Na)
Serves 4-6

1½ tsp chilli flakes 
3 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds 
15 whole black peppercorns 
Seeds from 9 cardamom pods 
6 whole cloves 
2 tsp ground turmeric 
2 tsp soft brown sugar
4cm fresh ginger, roughly chopped 
5 fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped 
150ml cider vinegar 
900g British free-range pork shoulder, cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil 
2 medium onions, finely chopped 
1 tbsp tomato purée 
300ml chicken stock 
30 fresh curry leaves 
Small handful fresh parsley, chopped

In a dry frying pan over a medium heat, toast the chilli flakes, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cardamom and cloves until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder (or whizz in a spice grinder). Add the spice powder to a food processor along with the turmeric, sugar, ginger, garlic and vinegar then whizz until you have a wet paste. 

Put the spice mixture and the pork into a glass or ceramic bowl (they won’t react with the vinegar) and mix well. Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour. 

Heat the oil in a large heavy- based pan, then gently fry the onion for 10-15 minutes until softened. Add the tomato purée, the pork and all the marinade, then mix well. Add the stock and 1 tsp salt, then stir in the curry leaves. Cover and simmer gently for 40-50 minutes until the pork is tender. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. It should have a distinct vinegar flavour – if it’s too strong for your liking, balance it out with a little extra brown sugar. Sprinkle with the parsley, then serve with freshly cooked basmati rice.

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