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Rotisserie Goan Pork Vindaloo

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You don’t need a rotisserie to make this delicious Goan pork vindaloo

This Goan pork vindaloo recipe is an updated version of what you might have found on this page previously. I like to go back and improve recipes and as this Goan pork vindaloo hadn’t been touched since I first published in back in 2013, I decided it was time to do so.

Cooking the marinated pork on a rotisserie gives the meat a delicious, smoky flavour with the perfect blend of vindaloo spices. If you don’t have a rotisserie, no problem! Just cut your pork shoulder into bite sized pieces before applying the marinade. Then cook it on skewers or on the cooking grate of your BBQ. If cooking over fire doesn’t excite you, you might want to try this simplified Goan pork vindaloo that can be cooked in one pan, indoors.

This Goan pork vindaloo goes so well with red matta rice or  plain Basmati rice.

Goan pork vindaloo

About this Goan pork vindaloo recipe

With most Goan pork vindaloo recipes, you marinate and then gently simmer pork in a spicy sauce until tender. This is another way of doing it which I saw prepared in Goa. 

Placing the marinated pork shoulder on a rotisserie and letting it cook slowly for about 3 hours give the meat an amazing smoky flavour that is so good in the curry. In fact, you could just leave out the curry bit and serve the meat on it’s own. It’s so juicy and spicy, you might find it difficult to wait for the curry to be prepared.

Do you have to cook the pork on a rotisserie?

No! I like to cook mine on a rotisserie because I find it quite convenient. If you want the same smoky flavour, go ahead and cut your pork shoulder into bite sized pieces and then marinate it. You can then skewer it and cook the meat over the coals just like you would chicken tikka.

What are the origins of Goan pork vindaloo?

Vindaloo was inspired by a Portuguese dish called carne de vinha d’alhos (meat marinated in wine-vinegar and garlic). You might like to try the original Portuguese recipe too. You can find it here.

The Goans took the original dish and made it into the famous Goan pork vindaloo that is now world famous. Compare the Portuguese dish and this vindaloo and you will see that there are a lot more spices in vindaloo.

To make it the Goan way, you will be using chillies and chilli powder but not so much that the heat of the chillies overpowers all the other spices used.

How to cook the perfect Goan pork vindaloo?

As mentioned above, there are a couple of ways to do it. Most common is to stew the pork in the sauce ingredients. You cook the pork until it is melt in the mouth tender. Cooking the meat in this way also flavours the curry sauce.

With this version, I’m not sure which came first, you cook the meat over fire, once again until tender. As the meat cooks, it will char on the exterior which is a good sign its ready to start slicing off. The cooked pork can then be added to the sauce which then becomes even more tender and releases an amazing charred and smoky flavour.

Either way, you want to ensure that the pork is super tender.

How spicy should Goan pork vindaloo be?

That’s up to you but I can tell you from experience, the vindaloos in Goa are very spicy. Not as spicy as a British curry house style vindaloo but spicy all the same. 

With this recipe, you can and should taste it and adjust the spicing to taste.

How long can you keep pork vindaloo in the fridge?

This curry will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Of course this depends on how fresh your ingredients are when you make it. In fact, the your Goan pork vindaloo will actually get better sitting, covered tightly in the fridge as the flavours will develop.

Can you freeze pork vindaloo?

Yes! You can freeze this Goan pork vindaloo curry for up to 6 months. It will still taste amazing and some people think it actually tastes better after freezing.

How do you reheat Goan pork vindaloo?

You can just heat it up in your microwave. For best results, however, heat it up slowly in a saucepan. Let it come to a simmer and then simmer lightly over a low heat until you are ready to serve.

If reheating from frozen, allow the pork vindaloo to defrost completely before reheating. 

Pro Tips for making Goan pork vindaloo

  1. Marinate the pork:  Marination is an important step in preparing Goan pork vindaloo. To achieve maximum flavour, marinate the pork in the marinade for 2 to 4 hours. This will give the pork a tangy, spicy and aromatic flavour, resulting in a rich and well-seasoned dish.
  2. Balance the Spices: Goan pork Vindaloo is known for being spicy, but it’s important to balance the heat with other flavours. Be sure to taste the sauce as you cook and feel free to adjust the spicing to taste. If you don’t know your spice level, be sure to add the chilli powder in small amounts until you are happy with the spiciness.
  3. Slow Cooking for Tender Meat: To achieve tender and succulent pork, you need to cook it gently and slowly. That’s one of the reasons I prefer using a rotisserie. After you cook the pork, let it simmer in the sauce slowly over a low heat for a while. This will help flavour the sauce to perfection. 

Step by Step Photographs

Ingredients for rotisserie Goan pork vindaloo

Get all your ingredients together before starting.

Toasting the spices for the vindaloo marinade.

Toast the whole spices over a medium heat until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking.

The ground vindaloo spice blend.

Allow the spices to cool some and then grind into a fine paste in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.

Marinade ingredients ready to blend.

Add the remaining marinade ingredients to the ground spices and blend to a smooth paste.

The blended marinade

Your finished marinade will look something like this.

The marinade rubbed into the pork

Remove the outer fat on the pork and this slice it thinly. Rub the marinade right into the meat.

Frying garlic slivers in oil.

While the pork is marinating, start your sauce. Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the garlic slivers.

Crispy garic flakes

Fry the garlic flakes until crispy and light brown but not burnt. Be careful. Then transfer the garlic flakes to a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

Infusing the flavours of mustard seeds and curry leaves into the oil.

Add the mustard seeds to the same oil. When they begin to crackle, stir in the curry leaves to infuse for about 30 seconds.

Adding and frying the onions in the pan.

Stir in the chopped onions and fry for about 7 minutes or until soft, translucent and golden brown.

Adding chopped tomatoes to the pan.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Then add a little water to cover.

Simmering the Goan pork vindaloo sauce

Simmer covered for about 15 minutes and continue simmering until you are happy with the sauce consistence. Set aside. This can all be done on your barbecue if more convenient.

Pork cooking on a rotisserie

Wipe off and retain as much marinade as possible. Cook the pork on a rotisserie for about 2 to 3 hours, slicing the meat off as it chars and cooks through. 

Cooked pork cut into bite sized pieces.

Once all the meat is cooked, cut it into bite sized pieces if it isn’t already.

Finishing the vindaloo on the barbecue

Add the pork and all the retained marinade to the curry and heat it up. You can continue simmering over a low heat for additional flavour.

Finished Goan pork vindaloo.

Stir in the fried garlic and season with salt to taste to serve.

If you like this Goan belly pork vindaloo, you might also like to try some of these recipes…

Authentic pork vindaloo
BIR curry house style vindaloo sauce
BIR style lamb vindaloo

Yield: 6 - 8

Rotisserie Goan Pork Vindaloo

Goan pork vindaloo
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2kg (4 lbs) pork shoulder, outer fat removed.
  • 2 - 3 tbsp coconut or rapeseed (canola) oil
  • 1 head of garlic – cloves cut into slivers
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 20 fresh curry leaves
  • 3 onions – finely chopped
  • 3 tomatoes – finely chopped (about 400g)
  • 1 tbsp chilli powder (more or less to taste)
  • Juice of one lime or to taste
  • FOR THE VINDALOO MARINADE
  • 6 dried red chillies
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp black cardamom seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 8 cloves
  • 1 inch cassia bark stick
  • 20 black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 8 green chillies – finely chopped
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) palm or red wine vinegar (plus more if needed)
  • 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar (more or less to taste
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste (or another two tablespoon of vinegar)
  • 3 tbsp garlic and ginger paste

Instructions

  1. To make the marinade, place all the whole spices in a dry frying pan over medium heat and roast until they become fragrant and warm to the touch but are not yet smoking.
  2. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly and then pour the spices in a food processor with the turmeric and grind to a fine powder. You could also use a pestle and mortar but that's a lot more work.
  3. Add the chillies, vinegar, tamarind concentrate, brown sugar, garlic and ginger and blend to a smooth vindaloo marinade paste. Removed any excess fat from the exterior of the pork shoulder and slice it into thin pieces, about 1/2 inch thick. Place the sliced pork in a large bowl and cover with the marinade and leave to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
  4. When ready to cook, heat the oil in a saucepan, large frying pan or wok over low heat. Add the garlic slivers and allow to cook gently for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. It should be a bit crispy and just beginning to turn a light brown. Transfer the garlic with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
  5. Using the same oil, heat your pan over medium high heat. When visibly hot, add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, stir in the curry leaves.
  6. Fry for about 30 seconds until the curry leaves are very fragrant and then toss in the chopped onions.
  7. Fry the chopped onions for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat until they turn soft and translucent. Sprinkle a little salt over the onions. This will help release moisture from them.
  8. Add the chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, bay leaves and cover the pan to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and allow to cool and set aside.
  9. Set up a medium fire in your barbecue.
  10. To cook the pork. Secure it on a rotisserie skewer or just skewer it up to cook over the fire. Rub as much marinade off the meat as you can and retain it. To cook on skewers, cut into bite sized pieces and cook over the hot flames until lightly charred and cooked through.
  11. Cooking the pork on a rotisserie takes a bit longer but the smokiness you get adds delicious flavour Let the pork cook on the rotisserie for about 3 hours, slicing off the cooked bits of meat as it cooks. You can add the cut pork directly to the curry. Continue cooking and slicing until all the meat is cooked through.
  12. Add the cooked meat to the sauce and top with a little water to cover along with a couple tablespoons of the reserved marinade. Bring to a simmer and try some. You can adjust the flavouring my stirring in more marinade. Be sure to simmer it for a while as the marinade will have touched the raw meat.
  13. You can continue simmering over a low heat for a while if you like. Add more water if needed. You do not want to serve the vindaloo until the pork is really tender. The longer cooking time will also help flavour the curry.
  14. To serve, stir in the fried garlic. Try the curry and add salt to taste. You can also adjust other spicing at this time such as additional chilli powder. Just be sure to simmer it in the sauce for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flavour. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 794mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 7gSugar: 13gProtein: 10g

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 I have a few traditional Goan vindaloo recipes on this site but this is my favourite of the moment.

Dale Burrow

Sunday 4th of July 2021

Are the thirty garlic cloves peeled or unpeeled?

Dan Toombs

Monday 5th of July 2021

It's up to you, you can eat garlic skin but if you would rather peel them that's fine too. Dan

James S

Wednesday 29th of August 2018

Hello,

I'm assuming a "bottle" of wine is 750ml, is this correct?

Thanks!

James

* can't leave rating cuz haven't tried yet

Dan Toombs

Tuesday 18th of September 2018

Hi James

That's right. 750ml is a bottle of wine.

Thanks, Dan

Neil w

Wednesday 18th of October 2017

Hi Dan. This is awesome. Well worth the time and effort. I serve it with your spiced (best ever) roast potatoes and have it as an alternative Sunday lunch.

Dan Toombs

Thursday 2nd of November 2017

Great to hear Neil! Thank you.

Dan

Gilla

Tuesday 17th of July 2012

I've been trying to share this recipe, but facebook is playing up for me and won't load, so I've tweeted it. This looks great - I'll have to try it.

Dan Toombs

Wednesday 12th of September 2012

Thank you very much Gilla!

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