This is authentic Goan pork vindaloo just like you find in Goa!
If you like a good Goan pork vindaloo curry, you've come to the right place. This is a recipe I learned while researching for my first cookbook 'The Curry Guy'. The recipe tastes just like those you find at the best Goan restaurants.
This pork vindaloo is delicious served with plain or flavoured Basmati rice, homemade naans or chapatis, a good chutney or two and don't forget those samosas and dal!
About this pork vindaloo recipe
I've been lucky to have met and learned from so many talented chefs over the years. It's been a dream come true for me. To be able to learn such amazing recipes like this pork vindaloo recipe has made food blogging and writing my books more fun.
I learned this pork vindaloo recipe while traveling through Goa. There I was able to work my way into a few kitchens and watched the chefs prepare vindaloo curries just like this from scratch. This is the real deal. The only negative is that your Goan pork vindaloo will be just as good if not better than you find in Goa!
Being able to recreate a famous curry like this at home tends to make dining there not nearly as amazing.
Is this Goan pork vindaloo like those you find at British curry houses?
No! This is a completely different curry. It's spicy but nothing like the mouth explosion you might expect at a curry house.
The reason for this is simple. British curry house chefs knew that pork vindaloo was spicy so they recreated a dish that was super hot and called it vindaloo. As most Indian restaurants are muslim owned, other proteins were substituted for the pork, such as lamb, chicken and beef.
With this recipe, you will love all the different flavours of the spices. There are a lot of them and no spice overpowers the others. It's like a beautiful medley of spice that is very difficult to beat.
What is the history of Goan pork vindaloo?
Goa was the birthplace of pork vindaloo curry. In the 15th century, the Portuguese controlled what is now Goa and brought with them their Portuguese recipes and ingredients from the new world - the Americas.
The name vindaloo is believed to have come from the Portuguese dish carne de vinho e albos or meat with wine (or vinegar) and garlic. The Goans couldn't pronounce vinho e albos and ended up calling it vindaloo. The name stuck.
One thing the Goans changed when making vinho e albos or vindaloo was that they added a lot of chillies. They loved the spicy chillies which had only recently made their way to the Indian subcontinent via the Portuguese.
Don't vindaloo curries have potatoes in them?
Yes and no. Curry house style vindaloos often have potatoes added to the sauce. This is due to a misunderstanding of the name vindaloo.
In Hindi and Urdu, 'aloo' means potato. So the early curry house chefs thought that the 'aloo' part of 'vindaloo' surely meant 'potato'. So they are now often added to curry house style vindaloo curries.
Which cut of pork should you use?
In Goa, pork shoulder was the cut of choice at the places I visited. It's a delicious, fatty cut of meat so it has a lot of flavour.
In this recipe, I use pork cheeks. I love pork cheeks for their flavour. This is a tender and juicy cut that takes a little longer to cook than shoulder but it becomes so melt in the mouth tender when you stew it slowly.
Either shoulder or cheek will do fine for this recipe.
How do I make this curry more/less spicy?
The hot spiciness comes from the chilli powder, whole dried chillies and green chillies. If you are at all concerned about the spicy heat, don't add as much as it is difficult to tone it down later.
If you find that your pork vindaloo is not spicy enough, you can always add more chilli powder. Just stir it into the sauce and let it simmer to cook out the raw flavour.
Working ahead.
Like many curries, Goan pork vindaloo is a great recipe if you want to work ahead. You can prepare the vindaloo spice blend a few days ahead of cooking the curry if more convenient.
For that matter, you could also cook the whole curry a few days ahead of serving. Just like most curries, Goan pork vindaloo actually gets better as it sits in the fridge. The flavours develop and turn great into amazing.
How long can you keep this curry in the fridge?
Of course this will be down to the freshness of the meat and other ingredients you use but generally, you should be able to store this in the fridge for at least three day.
Can you freeze Goan pork vindaloo?
You sure can! You can freeze this vindaloo in an air-tight container or freezer bag for up to 6 months.
How do you reheat pork vindaloo?
You can heat it up in a large pan or wok over a medium high heat. If it's more convenient, you could also just heat it up in the microwave.
Looking for a second curry to make your pork vindaloo into a feast? Try this chicken coconut curry It goes so well with a vindaloo.
Step by step photographs.














Authentic Goan Pork Vindaloo Curry

For best results, allow the pork to soak up the marinade for 48 hours.
Ingredients
- 800g pork shoulder or cheek cut into bit sized pieces
- 4 tbsp coconut or rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 head of garlic – cloves cut into slivers
- 1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
- 20 fresh curry leaves
- 2 onions – finely chopped
- 3 tomatoes – finely chopped (about 400g)
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
- Juice of one lime or more vinegar to taste
- FOR THE VINDALOO MARINADE
- 3 dried red chillies
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black cardamom seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 5 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 Indian bay leaves (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 4 green chillies – finely chopped
- 75ml white wine vinegar (plus more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or another two tablespoon of vinegar)
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
Instructions
- Start with the marinade. Place all the whole spices and Indian bay leaves, if using in a dry frying pan over medium heat and roast until they become fragrant and warm to the touch but are not yet smoking.
- Transfer to a plate to cool slightly and then pour the spices in a food processor and blend to a fine powder. You could also use a pestle and mortar but that's a lot more work.
- Add the chillies, one tbsp vinegar, tamarind paste, brown sugar, garlic and ginger and blend to a smooth vindaloo paste.
- Put the pork in a large bowl with the marinade and stir well to combine.
- Leave the pork to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight eight to 48 hours. The longer the better.
- To finish
- When ready to cook, heat the coconut or rapeseed (canola) 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. It is important not to burn the garlic so watch carefully. The garlic should be soft and only lightly browned as photographed above.
- Remove the garlic from the saucepan and set aside.
- Using the same oil, heat you pan over medium high heat until the oil is beginning to shimmer.
- Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, stir in the curry leaves. Fry for about 15 seconds until the curry leaves are very fragrant and then toss in the chopped onions.
- Fry for about 5 minutes over medium high heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Sprinkle a little salt over the onions. This will help release moisture from them.
- Stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder and ground turmeric. Careful, don't add a the chilli powder if you don't like your curries spicy.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and the pork with its marinade to the pan and then pour in just enough water to cover.
- Leave to simmer, covered for about an hour until the pork is very tender. You may need to add a drop more water while simmering.
- When the meat is tender, the sauce should taste amazing. Adjust spicing adding more salt if needed and more chilli powder if you want.
- Stir in some of the cooked garlic and leave some behind to garnish. Stir in more vinegar if needed to taste.
- squeeze the lime juice over the top and serve.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 766Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 1088mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 7gSugar: 18gProtein: 47g
Calogero Mira says
This traditional Goan pork Vindaloo recipe seems to be quite difficult.
Andrew says
Its easy man, and actually pretty quick when all spices are on hand. One of the best curries I've had, and I've had a few! Check my comment for tips to make it easier, its the last comment so far.
Dan Toombs says
Thanks Andrew!
Dan
Nejat says
@Calogero Mira, I used to cook minimum effort maximum satisfaction!
But i realised later that good things like this curry take time and effort.
Dan Toombs says
Very true!
Thanks very much.
Dan
Dan Toombs says
It's very much worth the effort though! 🙂
Jason says
I'm not clear on the water additions. Add enough water to cover what? So the entire mixture is submerged?
Dan Toombs says
That's it Jason. Just enough water to cover the contents.
Dan
payal says
I think it looks great. I am going to give it a try. No mention of salt in the recipe though??
Dan Toombs says
Thank Payal.
I must have left it out by mistake. As with all my recipes, just add salt to taste.
Thanks you.
Dan
Jo says
This was delicious and went down a treat in my house. It was warming rather than very hot.
I had to make a few changes: I only marinated for a couple of hours but then cooked the curry for longer; used only half a bulb of garlic (will use it all next time!); forgot the bay leaves; used green cardamom and white wine vinegar; used half butter and half veg oil as I had no ghee.
I'll make it again!
Dan Toombs says
I like that you will be trying it again Jo. thanks for trying the recipe.
Dan
Beverly says
This was my first ever attempt at Vindaloo and it was delicious! I am relatively new to Indian cooking and must have looked through 10-12 different recipes before selecting this one.
I did follow the recipe exactly, which is contrary to my nature and found the results to be a balanced, complex and zippy delight.
There were two instances where I had to guess quantity; the ghee/oil for sautéing garlic etc, and the finishing touch of lemon juice. My eyes could not find them in the list of ingredients.
At any rate, thank you Curry Guy for your recipe, website and enthusiasm ~ Beverly from Alaska (PS, well woth the effort)
Dan Toombs says
Hi Beverly
It looks like I must have written this all down a bit too quickly. Happy it worked out for you in the end. I don't usually use measures. I just throw the ingredients in depending on how I feel. i'll write down some measures though for those I missed.
Thanks
Dan
Mike says
I'm slapping one of these up tonight along with your stovetop Naan, looks like a winner to me, I'll let you know how it goes
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear Mike. How was it?
Dan
Tony Seigel says
Wow! I have lived as an ex-pat in India and tasted many versions of the Goan Pork Vindaloo. This is as good as it gets. It will blow your socks off.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Tony. Really glad you liked it. 🙂
Dan
Alipate says
New to cooking but always love my Vindaloos. Thx for all the comments, I'm going out to buy my share of ingredients, and give this ago? From down under,. NZ, Alipate Cheers everyone
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear.
Thanks very much.
Dan
Ian says
Hi Dan
As Beverly noted above, how much Ghee/oil would you use in the frying garlic stage,, i assume it would be about a TBLS,, maybe 2 ish ???? and at the end with the lemon juice ?? juice of half a lemon ish,, maybe 1 ??
Thanks Dan.....
Ian says
Sorry Dan but i forgot to ask,, which variety of dried chilli`s do you use,, the milder dark red Kashmiri type, or the little bird eye hot type..
Thanks...
Andy says
Hi this site is fantastic, do you have a recipe for chicken pakora
Dan Toombs says
Thank you Andy.
Sure do but not typed yet. I'll post soon.
Dan
Jane says
This recipe is delicious. I cooked it as per your recipe last year for a large party of people, adjusting the quantities and put it in 2 slo-cookers. Delicious. I'm cooking a smaller batch today - the meat has been marinading for 3 days in the spice mixture.
RICHARD says
i made it it was faboulous
Dan Toombs says
Thank you. Great to hear Brian.
Dan
Andrew Hopkins says
Dan, that was one of the most authentic and amazing indian recipes I have ever eaten, let alone cooked!! Just great flavours and spice. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
Thanks you.
Dan Toombs says
Thanks Andrew. Really glad you liked it!
Dan
Mike says
Tasted pretty good Dan! Mine didn't turn out red like the picture though, is it supposed to?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Mike - Thank you. That might be down to the type and/or amount of chilli powder used. It doesn't need to be red to be good. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Dan
Wayne says
Hi Dan,
We still don't appear to have the quantities for the ghee/oil, etc.
Any chance of an update? I don't want to ruin this dish by using the wrong amounts.
Dan Toombs says
Done! Thanks for reminding me Wayne.
Dan
Andrew says
Excellent recipe, I blitz up all spices, garlic ginger and onion into a paste with one bhut jolokia chlli for the heat. I skip the marinating altogether cos I just don't have time. It still turns out great and is outstanding the next day. I fry the curry leaves quickly then add the a fore mentioned paste then add the pork and cook briefly in the paste. Then I add the tomato, tamarind, vinegar water etc and cook. I usually add the brown sugar at the end for some reason, but I doubt it makes a difference.
Rez says
Pretty much kept to your recipe (it looked spot-on) except for:
1. Used around 10 dried Kashmiri chillies (seeds removed) as the dried chillies & 4 Kashmiri & 2 fresh birds-eye chillies (ground into a paste) in place of chilli powder - gave lovely red colour & amazing taste.
2. Used lean belly pork in place of shoulder - delicious but needed longer cooking to dissolve fat.
3. Fried pork & marinade before adding to base.
4. Left out lemon juice at the end.
Don't mean to sound arrogant but I'm a very good cook. I make lots of authentic curries that knock the socks off anything you'd get in any restaurant.
But my family & I agreed - this was THE BEST CURRY we've ever tasted.
Thank you!
Dan Toombs says
So good to hear Rez! Thank you. I'm really happy you and family liked the recipe. I like and will try your changes.
Dan
dave winmill says
Well tried it dan but found the vinegar a bit ove powering. Made another batch without vinegar and mixed it altogether. Taste was right for me.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Dave
Good to hear you got it worked out. If you are ever cooking with vinegar and it is too overpowering, just let it simmer for a while. The vinegar flavour will weaken.
Thanks
Dan
Erna says
Can I use beef instead of pork?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Erna
Yes. The flavour will of course be different but still very good.
Dan
Gary says
I've been cooking curries for almost 40 years and this is definitely the best vindaloo recipe I've come across so far.
Thanks Dan.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Gary. I enjoyed learning the recipe. Glad you like it.
Dan
Dwane Benavides says
I made this vindaloo and believe it is the best one i have ever eaten, it takes time but well worth it , thanks curry guy.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Dwane. Really glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Dan
Geoff Coope says
Will be testing this out soon on my curry addicted 78 year old father who has eaten approx. 5 fairly hot curries a week for the past 50 years so the pressure is on!
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear Geoff. Hope you father enjoys it.
Dan
Estrelina Dias says
Really best recipe
Neil says
I've made this three times now in a couple of months. It's the best curry I've ever eaten. Thanks for the recipe!
Dan Toombs says
Thank you Neil. It's one of my favourites too.
Cheers
Dan
juliet says
delicious recipe if this is eaten after 2 or 3 days after cooking it , it will taste even more delicious. as pork taste better later just keep heating it every day.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Juliet. Very true. I couldn't agree more. Thank you very much.
Dan
Kiamesha says
If I have gram Marsala can I omitt some of the seasoning ,?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Kiamesha
You certainly can. It is all down to personal taste. If you want to leave some of the seasoning out, there is no reason why you shouldn't. Hope this helps.
Dan
John says
This is the first pork vindaloo I have eaten or cooked and it's hands-don the best vindaloo I have had. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Dan Toombs says
Hi John
Thanks very much. I'm really glad you like the recipe! 🙂
Dan
Giselle says
Wow what yummy n delicious recipe,, I just added 1/4cup whiskey to the marinade,,,thanks
Dan Toombs says
Hi Giselle
I love that idea!
Thanks,
Dan
francois says
thanks dan for this delicious vindaloo
Dan Toombs says
Thank you Francois.
Lilian says
If I double the amount of meat for 8 people, do I have to double all the spices or just increase slightly? Planning to try it out tomorrow. Thanks.
Jason says
Hi Dan, announced to friends i'd be cooking this and wouldn't you know it, one won't eat pork, fussy begger. Will this work with chicken breast and if so should i reduce the simmering time?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Jason
Beef, chicken and duck work really well with this recipe.
Thanks,
Dan
Tony Heath says
It's even better if you cook it one day and eat it the next.
Dan Toombs says
Sure is Tony. 🙂
Dory says
Hi Dan,
I made your 1875 curry last weekend using chicken thigts. It is very tasty and my kids and I like it very much together with your stovetop naan.
I will absolutely make it again! Next time I will use a bit lesser sugar, because it is a tiny bit too sweet for me. I know I'm a bit fuzzy about sweet stuff in combination with savoury dishes, so please don't take it personal 😉
It's pretty easy to make. Your recipe(s) are very clear and easy
to understand.
So keep up the good work and I'll keep cooking and enjoying.
Thank you very much.
Kind regards,
Dory
Dan Toombs says
Hi Dory
Thank you very much for trying my recipes. I'm really glad you like them. I'm not a big fan of sufar in curries either. 🙂
Best,
Dan
Steve says
Dan, the bay leaves aren't mentioned in the method. At what stage do they go in, please?
Trying this tonight 🙂
Dan Toombs says
Hi Steve
Thanks for noticing. They have been added to the method.
All the best,
Dan
Parham says
Hi Dan!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I've tried some other currys from your site and this time I just had write to you. I'm a big fan of Indian food and your recipes are off the carts. It's easy to follow and everything tastes fantastic! This is the first time I did a Vindaloo and I have you to thank for. The dish was a huge success! The difference is that I never measure things, I just add the ingredients to the amount of what it looks like a teaspoon or tablespoon i.a.w the recipe, so probably some small differences in the spice mix. Oh yeah, and the only chili I added was one Trinidad Scorpion 'Butch T' pepper. It's very very hot, but in a good way.
I love your work and this is a great site.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Parham. I don't measure ingredients when I cook for myself either. Like the sound of those Trinidad Scorpion peppers!
Dan
Andy says
Spot on this Dan. I left out some of the sugar and caremelised the onions instead, was fantastic.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear Andy! Thank you. Really glad you were able to change the recipe to your own taste. That's what it's all about.
Cheers,
Dan
Celine Almeida says
Hi Dan,
I saw the good reviews and tried this recipe on Sunday. Everyone loved it. I just added a few green chillies in the end. Tasted great. Thanks for the recipe.
Celine
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Celine. I'm really happy you liked the recipes. It's one of my favourites.
Dan
stuart mellor says
I tried this recipe last night and have to say it's one of my favourite vindaloo recipes so far!
I cooked this for a vegan so replaced the meat with some fresh mushrooms, some vegan mince and butternut squash.
I can imagine the tamarind works really well with the pork, but without meat I would suggest adding either half the stated amount or leaving it out. Simmering for an hour, as you should with most curries, helped really develop the flavour.
Thanks to Dan for the excellent recipe!
Stuart
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Stuart.
Dan
Gavin says
I made this for a friend last year, and it made him weep with nostalgia; it has been requested again this year as a Christmas present. The friend is pushing 80 and left Goa as schoolboy at partition in 1947, when things were getting a bit dodgy for the old Portuguese Catholic families like his, which had been there since the late 17th Century. So I think you've probably got it about right . . . . . . .
Dan Toombs says
Hi Gavin
Thank you! That is great to hear. I'll be including this recipe in my next cookbook.
Much appreciated.
Dan
Tracy Hampton says
I am looking forward to making this Vindaloo but have a question. We are rather remote from ethnic food stores so I am wondering what if anything I can use as a substitute for the curry leaves? I think I have or can access all other ingredients. Thanks in advance for your reply.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Tracy
Unfortunately, there isn't a good substitute for curry leaves. They are so good but also have a very unique flavour and aroma. Just leave them out. The curry will still taste great. 🙂
Thanks,
Dan
Andrea says
This looks fantastic. I thought the aloo part of vindaloo was potato? Am I misunderstanding this??
Dan Toombs says
Hi Andrea
That is a common misconception. In Hindi, aloo means potato. So when curry house chefs here in the UK heard the name vindaloo, they thought it was potato. It's not. Vindaloo is an Indian (Goan) word that comes from a Portuguese dish. Sorry, the name escapes me now. 🙂
Dan
Antonia Harmonie says
Thank you chef. Many hybrid vindaloo across the glob. Often has too many ingredients to match their local palate. For yonks I have been seeking 'authentic Goan pork vindaloo' .As a novice curry cook, I'd pop this into my pressure cooker. I trust this amazing dish from The 1875 restaurant is unpretentious yet delicious. xx
Dan Toombs says
Hi Antonia
This is my favourite Goan vindaloo recipe. Give it a go. 🙂
Thanks,
Dan
Mandy Churchill says
Hi Dan
All your recipes online look great. I have just purchased The Curry Guy Easy version in hard back and the Original one is on order. I get way more inspiration when flicking through pages in a real book. I was wondering can I double the Pork Vindaloo recipe to double the meat or do I lighten up on spices. And what is the rule of thumb for making larger batches in general? I have had dramas in the past with doubling Curry recipes.
Thanks in advance
Mandy
Dan Toombs says
Hi Mandy
Thank you very much. I usually just double the recipes but not the chillies and chilli powders. Add them at the end to taste or you might find your curry is too spicy. Really, this can apply to all the ingredients. I always taste as I cook and then add more spices and other ingredients to taste. You should be pretty safe though by simply doubling this recipe and then adding the hotter spices to taste at the end.
Thank you,
Dan
Steven Moriarty says
Making this tonight can't wait. Used pork fillet
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear. Thanks Steven.
Rebecca Reynolds says
Would be interested to see this in the group!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Rebecca
I am going to be cooking this live soon.
Thanks
Dan
Simon VanM says
I love Vindaloo, so I'll definitely try this one, but only when the kids are away. Would love to see a live cooking session or Youtube vid about this one!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Simon
Thanks very much, I will try and work on a liver version soon.
Dan
Nico @ yumsome food and travel says
Love the step by step photos - thank you!
Dan Toombs says
Hi
Thanks very much, good to hear.
Dan
Danny says
This recipe is great, I tried it a few weeks back and loved it. Would be great to see a live cooking session for this one so can learn from the technique!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Danny
I plan to cook pork vindalooo live in the next few weeks.
Thanks
Dan
Neil says
Going to give this a try. Looks great.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Neil
Thanks very much.
Dan
Helen Oliver says
I’m not a fan of hot curries so I tried this at the start of ‘lockdown’ with some trepidation but I needn’t have worried as it was just amazing & nice to have pork in a curry which is so tender from the marinade and slow cooking.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Helen
I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks very much.
Dan
Dave says
Would defo like to make this for my family all big heat fans (although not so much myself)
Dan Toombs says
Hi Dave
Great to hear, just add fewer chillies if you like it less spicy.
Thanks
Dan
Martin says
This is indeed a very tasty authentic curry recipe! I've cooked this twice already. It is very fragrant from all the spices and the vinegar makes the meat tender.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Martin
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks
Dan
Gareth says
Would be great to see this in one of your cookalongs
Dan Toombs says
Hi Gareth
I am going to be working on that in the next few weeks.
Thanks
Dan
Gargi says
It was a great recipe! Thank you for sharing! I have tried so many recipes from different websites but this one turned out to be the best. I make this quite often and is a favourite of my mom and me.
Dan Toombs says
Hi
Thanks very much, great to hear.
Dan
Robert Franklin says
I cooked this last night and I used too much water so I will reheat it tonight and remove the pork so that I can reduce the sauce and then season and check the strength of the chilli factor. I cant wait for the end results as i used scotch bonnet chilli
Dan Toombs says
Good idea, sounds great!
Dan
Patrick says
If I haven't got seeds, can I just use powders and if so, how much of each?
Will it change the outcome of the dish ?
Dan Toombs says
If all you have is powders just use those. Start with 1 teaspoon and add to taste.
Thanks
Dan
Patrick says
Made it, loved it, and will make it again!
I might skip the lime juice and sugar next time, and use my homemade limoncello that I made from limes.
Dan Toombs says
Excellent and great idea about the limoncello!
Dan
MArco Lopes says
Hey
Firstly, thank you so much for the recipe.
Portuguese here. The marinade is actually called "vinha d'alhos", which derives from vinho(wine) and alho(garlic), not albo.
We have "carne de porco em vinha d'alhos", it means pork in wine and garlic. It's made with pork loin cut into cubes, left to marinate overnight in wine, garlic, bay leaf and salt, and then fried in pork fat.
Dan Toombs says
That sounds delicious! I will have to look that up and try it.
Thanks
Dan
Nick S. says
This was amazing. We have a freaking amazing Asian grocer in town here and she had curry leaves this morning. This is the 3rd recipe I have tried. The 1st was Julie Sahni-Classic Indian Cooking. That recipe swore by mustard oil. Your recipe was amazing. The 2nd recipe I tried had something to do with Sir Antony Hopkins. I love his movies, but his vindaloo recipe was sickeningly sweet (belch). I'm seriously curious... what about the mustard oil (cooking with mustard oil is full-c0tact cooking)? BTW... I see you have a lamb vindaloo recipe... That's next. So, yah, this recipe was [deleted expletive] amazing. I wish I had found your blog a long time ago.
Dan Toombs says
All great to hear!
Thanks very much.
Dan
Nick S. says
This turned out freaking amazing. This was the 3rd vindaloo recipe I've tried (tried vindaloo at 2 different restaurants as well). I've used Julie Sahni's recipe from "Classic Indian Cooking" over a dozen times and the other recipe was somehow tied to Anthony Hopkins (I love his movies but the recipe was terrible). Luckily, our local Asian grocery store has fresh curry leaves. This was the first time I'd ever used them. They gave it some amazing earthy flavor. For chili's, I used fresh and dried Thai chilies and used Allepo chili powder. Sahni's recipe used mustard oil to fry everything in and claimed that was the basis for the "authentic flavor". Mustard oil is entertaining to use, but you have to have every window open and hopefully a nice cross breeze. When preparing your recipe, I used homemade ghee. The results were amazing. I can't wait to eat the leftovers. Fun fact, I had to learn how to cook vindaloo after watching Red Dwarf. All it needed was good lager and papadam 🙂
Dan Toombs says
Thanks very much for your kind e-mail. All great to hear and I am glad to hear you enjoyed my vindaloo recipe so much. I love curry leaves too.
Thanks again
Dan
Sharyn says
Hi, I was told by an Indian couple, that a curry made on ingredients such as this - with pork, vinegar and salt - can he left in refrigerated for over a week. What is your recommendation?
Dan Toombs says
I would not really want to give advice on how long you could keep it in the fridge as it would depend on different factors such as how long you have had the meat before you cook it. As the vinegar will preserve the meat a bit, it does sound like it would work but it would be up to you to decide.
Thanks
Dan
Deepak Stevens says
Very good recipe but I would reduce the sugar. I followed this recipe now and used almost all the ingredients except the bay leaves and curry leaves. It reminds me of good Goan vindaloo's I have eaten in India but my dish turned out too sweet. If you do not want too much sweetness I recommend cutting back to 1 teaspoon of brown sugar rather than 2 tablespoons. That being said this recipe hits all the right spots. It is spicy, sweet, tangy & sour.
Thanks for sharing this
Dan Toombs says
Great you have adapted the recipe to your own taste. The sugar amount is just a guide so you are quite right to adjust if you don't like that much sweetness.
Thanks
Dan
John says
Hi Dan,
Looks great and can't wait to try this recipe out!
I just have a quick question, the chilli powder you mention in the recipe, is that the Indian style chilli powder ? E.g, basically just ground chilli powder, or is it the North American style chilli powder, which is more of a blend of other spices?
I've been literally burned by this confusion a couple of times. I have a feeling it's the Indian style, but want to make sure !
Dan Toombs says
Just use whatever chilli powder you have to hand. I usually use Kashmiri chilli powder but you could certainly try others.
Thanks
Dan
Angow says
I don't have Indian bay, but I do have everything else. My favourite is to use leg of lamb chunks. I cook twice as much meat and just double everything. Im not sure you are right in thinking that the chilli may need reducing, but as you say, do that to taste. I think the 48 hour marinade is vital in this and most curries. Also I cook it according to your instructions, chuck the garlic slivers in and leave it fridged for a further 24 hours, then add another whole bulb of garlic to serve. This is now called "Dad's 3 day curry". Great recipe thank you. Even my Indian friend requests it when she comes to stay.
To those who think it's complicated; it's not if a) you have the ingredients and b) you love prepping gorgeous food"
Dan Toombs says
Thanks very much for your comments and yes definitely add the chilli to your own tastes.
Dan
Erik says
Hi Dan,
thank you very much for the recipe. We had the Pork Vindaloo for dinner yesterday and it was the best Vindaloo I had outside Goa! Next time I will add a little more Chili as I was a bit careful yesterday. Also made the quick Naans from your website, they worked very well. I have just ordered some of your books. Keep up the good work!
Best regards,
Erik
Dan Toombs says
Thank you so much for letting me know and for ordering my books.
Dan
Paul Sharples says
This is off-the-scale delicious! I cooked it for 8 hours in a slow cooker, let it cool and enjoyed it reheated the following day. Simply epic!
Dan Toombs says
Really good to hear, thanks for letting me know.
Dan
Rosie says
Brilliant recipe thank you so much! I cooked mine in the slow cooker.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear, thank you for letting me know.
Dan
Christina Harcar says
I made this for the first time and it was amazing. I served it with raita and coconut poori (and basmati rice and vegetable sides, of course) to help balance the heat for my palate (I have mostly eaten Kashmiri or Punjabi dishes before this.) Thank you!
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Nice choice of sides too.
Thanks very much.
Dan
Nejat says
I made this recipe with double the amount of pork because I batch cook . I just doubled up on all the ingredients and swapped the red wine vinegar with cider vinegar and added a tablespoon of smoked paprika and a tablespoon of Kashmiri chilli powder which i ground from pods. Marination was 24 hours not 48 as recommended.but will do next time. I can honestly say this curry is up there ! Next to my favourite Sri lankan curry ! Truly a masterpiece! Dan is a genius 🙏
Dan Toombs says
Thanks very much, glad it all worked for you.
Dan
Martin says
Is that 2tbs of garlic and 2tbs of ginger pastes - or 2tbs of mixed?
Dan Toombs says
2 tbs of mixed
Thanks
Dan
Michael says
Delish!
I made up a large quantity with 2kg of pork. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it and put batches in the freezer.
Dan Toombs says
That’s great and fantastic you now have loads in the freezer.
Thanks
Dan
Jennifer says
Wow, this was amazing. even though I FORGOT to toast the spices, and only had a 5 hour marinade.
used apple cider vinegar instead, as I prefer it with pork.
complex flavors and easy with a spice grinder that does dry and wet.
hard part is smelling it cooking!
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear it worked so well.
Thanks
Dan
Medic Webber says
SOOOOOO GOOD!!
My mom had a Boston Butt cooked in a slow cooker, but it was too much meat for just her. She brought it over and we used it in this recipe. As it was already cooked, I just made the marinade, then added everything else and heated the pork in the sauce. I'm sure it lost some of the complexity, but it was still DELICIOUS. Thank you for the recipe! (P.S. I only had a mortar and pestle, no spice grinder and my blender couldn't pulverize the spices. That WAS a lot of work! And cassia/cinnamon stick doesn't grind to a powder very easily. Bought a spice grinder that night, lol.)
Dan Toombs says
Sounds great, thanks very much for letting me know.
Dan
Tasha says
Hi Dan, my heritage is Portuguese and I have eaten this curry before, but this will be the first time I will have made this myself. I’ve just prepped my pork and put it in the fridge to marinade, I was reading through the recipe and with regards to the garlic; what are your thoughts on roasting the whole bulb in the oven with salt and ghee wrapped in foil. I’ve used this method before and then you can just squeeze the garlic straight out of the bulbs into the sauce at the end, I find this gives the garlic a nice sweet nutty flavour profile.
Dan Toombs says
I think roasting the garlic first is a great idea, I am sure that will add a lot of delicious flavour.
Thanks
Dan
Tasha says
So I cooked the curry today and made your garlic naans with the pilau turmeric jeera rice. My son who is 18 absolutely loved the naans, I have a cast iron pan and cook on gas and they came out spectacularly I am grateful for your site, because I have always been a massive foodie and love cooking and you’ve helped me branch out. I have pictures if you want to see them. I have also just butchered a baby chicken from one of our local ethnic stores which is now marinading in the fridge in your tandoori mix. I continued to add yoghurt to the mix but only after I had basted the chicken in the tandoori paste. I also usually salt the chicken before I add the marinade and then follow it up with the spice marinade and then the yoghurt. I am lucky that we have access to those amazing ingredients and so fresh! Also I did roast the garlic rather than fry it and I smashed it with a knife Before I added it to the sauce as it’s kind of already a purée and it worked well. I just think sometimes frying garlic especially in ghee you run the risk of burning it too easily. Because the ghee carries on heating the garlic long after it leaves the pan. Thank you so much for your inspiration on my culinary journey 🙂
Dan Toombs says
Thanks so much for all the feedback and I’m really glad you and your son are enjoying my recipes so much.
Dan
Micheline says
Hi Dan,
A dear friend here in Canada, originally from Calcutta, then the UK. taught me some of her family's Indian dishes. My family has been requesting these dishes for close to 30 years now. I'm excited to try this recipe, it's snowing here, again and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than fill my kitchen with the warmth and aromas of this authentic Indian recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Cheers!
Dan Toombs says
Sounds good, I love that recipe, especially on a cold day.
Dan
Francie menagh says
I have always loved curries. I have just made this for me and my son with pork fillet. What can I say, simply the best.
Dan Toombs says
One of my favourites too so really glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks
Dan
Marguerite says
Excellent recipe ! I am a goan and really liked the flavor .
I marinated the stewing pork meat for 24/ hrs and then fried it after the onions and cinnamon,cardamom ,mustard and garlic and curry leaves . Then added chopped fresh tomatoes and red chili powder and bay leaf and continued frying till tomatoes got cooked then covered and cooked on low heat . The meat was tender and even better the next day !
Dan Toombs says
Sounds delicious, thanks very much.
Dan
Tartan Kangaroo says
Superb recipe. I used 2 de-seeded fresh ghost chilli's and 1 de-seeded fresh Thai ball chilli, 4 large green chillies and substituted the pork for 2kg of diced goat. Marinaded it for 3 days then followed the instructions.
Turned out amazing with a real tasty kick!
Served it with a cucumber raita, garlic naan and jasmine rice. Sauce was exceptional! No leftovers!
Dan Toombs says
Sounds delicious, thanks very much.
Dan
SlyMoxa says
Love this recipe. The flavor is addictive. Thanks so much. YUM!
Dan Toombs says
Thank you so much.
Dan
Del says
Hi Dan , I'm guessing a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes is ok rather than fresh ?
Dan Toombs says
Yes, that’s what I wouid do if you don’t have fresh tomatoes.
Thanks
Dan
James says
Can you use a slow cooker instead?
Obviously not for the frying, but the combining and simmering .
Basically, everything from step 7 you just start adding everything to the Crockpot, which you turn to high and simmer for an hour or 2 on low.
Will that work?
Dan Toombs says
Yes I’ve done that and it works really well for this recipe.
Thanks
Dan
KDK says
The best vindaloo we've ever had. Yes, it takes some time to roast the spices, marinate the pork, and make the dish, but it is exquisite. Well worth the effort.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you so much, it’s certainly a popular one.
Dan
Sunil says
Hi Dan, I'm going to try this recipe for the first time! I noticed that the ingredients list says 75ml of white wine vinegar (5 tbsp), where the step-by-step instructions say 1 tablespoon? Which quantity should I use?
Dan Toombs says
It is 75ml as there is quite a bit of vinegar in the recipe. Sorry for the confusion, I’ll amend.
Thanks
Dan