On most weekends, you’ll find me happily stirring pots and pans around the stove, whipping up a delicious lamb recipe. Lamb curries are always a huge hit with my husband, and now even my middle schooler is starting to develop a taste for spicy dishes!
Lamb Vindaloo
This bold lamb dish takes its cue from the beloved spicy & sour Goan vindaloo, a classic originally prepared with pork marinated in wine and spices. Over time, inventive cooks have created flavorful variations like chicken vindaloo and lamb or mutton vindaloo by swapping out a few ingredients (such as replacing wine with vinegar) to cater to a wider audience. If you enjoy spicy food, this fiery curry is perfect for you! But here’s a fun twist: while vindaloo is famous for its fiery kick, thanks to a mix of bold spices and dried chilies, the real star of the show is the vinegar. This tangy touch not only tames the heat but also tenderizes the meat, creating a slow-cooked curry with a rich, multi-dimensional flavor profile. It’s all about depth, not just the heat!
My Recipe
You know what’s also fascinating about this lamb vindaloo curry recipe? It’s incredibly easy to make! You’d never guess it, given the complex flavors of the final dish. All it takes is grinding a vindaloo paste with rehydrated red chilies, spices, ginger, garlic, and vinegar. Garlic and vinegar are the hero ingredients, besides meat of course! Once you have this flavorful vindaloo paste, marinate the lamb in it for 6-8 hours or until you are ready to cook, however I highly suggest not over marinating since the meat starts changing texture due to the highly acidic environment. Next day, simply slow-cook the marinated lamb with browned onions until it’s fork-tender. Add a touch of jaggery or brown sugar to balance the fiery curry. The result is a deeply flavorful dish that’s sure to impress! Here in Las Vegas, we often order vindaloo from one of our favorite Indian restaurant, Naan & Curry. I’ve noticed that while the chicken version has a reddish hue and a hint of tomatoes, the lamb vindaloo is sour and peppery. It makes sense you know, as chicken needs a flavor boost, unlike red meat. Taking a cue from them & how authentic lamb vindaloo is prepared, I skip tomatoes in my recipe to let the rich flavor of the lamb take center stage.
Ingredients
Lamb - I use boneless lamb leg or lamb shoulder. You could use bone in lamb as well. Use trimmed lamb meat to avoid an oily curry, which can be unappetizing and quite heavy. If you find bone-in lamb, that’s ideal for making vindaloo since the bones enhance the flavor of the sauce. Mutton or goat meat will work beautifully in this recipe too. You will need to adjust the cooking time depending on the kind and quality of meat in addition to the size of meat chunks. Dry Red Chilies- Use a hot variety. I use whole red kashmiri chilies (seeds and all). Use kashmiri chili power (or paprika powder) + cayenne powder if you do not have dry chilies. Oil - I use avocado oil. Use any neutral cooking oil so that it does not interfere with the flavor of spices and vinegar. Whole Spices - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, star anise, black pepper and cloves. These warm spices add depth and aroma to vindaloo. Vinegar - A must! I use apple cider vinegar, we love its taste. However, happily replace it with distilled white vinegar. Fresh Garlic & Ginger - Use fresh ginger and garlic. Store bought minced ginger and/or garlic pastes often have citric acid or preservative in them and it could interfere with the taste of vinegar. Curry Leaves - These are easily available to purchase from Indian grocery stores. Curry leaves impart citrus and anise notes to the flavor, and there are no real substitutes for them. If they’re not available, it’s best to skip them. Jaggery - We need sweetness to balance the tang and heat of the vindaloo paste. Use brown sugar instead. Red Onion - I prefer red onions for indian curries. Yellow onions will work too. Tamarind Paste or Pulp(unsweetened) - To be added at the end to enhance the tanginess, if you cannot find, simply use vinegar.
Instructions
Make Vindaloo Paste
Slow Cook Vindaloo Curry
Why Hot Water - Adding hot water ensures that the temperature of the pot contents doesn’t drop significantly. It also prevents the lamb pieces from shrinking, which helps keeping them tender. Lastly, keep in mind that as the meat cooks, it will release its own juices so add water accordingly. Vindaloo sauce isn’t thin or runny, rather on thickish side.
Using Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Though I am partial to slow cooking, however I must admit that using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to make lamb vindaloo is a great way to speed up the cooking process while still achieving rich, deep flavors.
How To Serve
Serve lamb vindaloo in a deep, wide light colored bowl to allow for visual appeal of the fiery sauce to shine and also for easy access to the flavorful sauce and tender lamb pieces. A garnish of few fresh curry leaves or chopped coriander leaves add a touch of color. White rice is the most common side dish with vindaloo. Pair lamb vindaloo with steamed basmati rice or jeera rice. You could add refreshing sides such a cooling cucumber raita or fresh kachumber salad to tame the intensity of the meal.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Red Color of Vindaloo - Vindaloo isn’t always reddish because the traditional recipe doesn’t rely heavily on tomatoes, which are often used in many Indian curries to give them a red hue. Instead, the color of vindaloo comes from the spices and the red chilies in marinade. Red chilies can vary in intensity and color. Additionally, as red meat cooks, it tends to achieve a brownish color releasing its juices in the sauce. Lastly, the vinegar used in vindaloo can also affect its color,making the vindaloo sauce more brownish or orange rather than bright red. Using Potatoes -If you wish to add 1 medium size potato to lamb vindaloo, add halved or thirded potatoes during the last 15-20 minutes of simmering the curry. Make sure to add the potatoes before you add the jaggery. After cooking, the potatoes should be fork-tender but still firm. Also, you will need to adjust salt in the recipe since potatoes need extra salt. Marinate Well - Don’t skip steps of marinating the meat. This allows the flavors to penetrate the meat thoroughly. Tomatoes - If desired, add 1-1.5 tablespoon tomato paste or 3-4 tablespoons of tomato puree while the vindaloo is slow cooking. Slow Cooking- There’s nothing more wonderful than slow cooked meat. The texture, taste aroma, everything is way better!
