Beef Vindaloo

Vindaloo – From Portugal to Your Indian Breakfast Plate

Vindaloo traces its roots back to 16th-century Portuguese cuisine, particularly a dish called “Carne de Vinha d’Alhos,” which means meat marinated in wine and garlic. Naturally, the Portuguese brought this dish to Goa when they arrived in India.

As Goa became part of India, Goans adapted the dish using local ingredients, giving it an Indian identity while keeping its soul intact.

Now, how did vindaloo get “baptized” into Indian cuisine? First, the wine was swapped with vinegar, and not just any vinegar-toddy vinegar is considered the best for an authentic vindaloo. Then came the Indian magic-dried red chilies and local spices were added to give it that bold, spicy edge. To balance the sourness of vinegar, a touch of sugar or jaggery was added for mild sweetness.

This gives vindaloo its signature taste-a blend of tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet flavours. Since the original wine had a subtle sweetness, replacing it with vinegar made the dish more sour. That’s where sugar helps in rounding out the taste. If you prefer, you can skip the sugar-it’s all up to your personal taste.

Traditionally, vindaloo is made with pork and often prepared on special occasions in the Christian community. But at home, we often use buffalo meat instead of pork, simply because it’s easier to find. And honestly, it works wonderfully.

It’s perfect for a hearty breakfast or lunch. Pair it with appam, kallappam, idiyappam, puttu, dosa, or just plain rice-it’s a delicious way to start the day or end it on a satisfying note.So go ahead-give your regular breakfast or lunch a bold twist with vindaloo. Once you try it, there’s no going back.

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Beef Vindaloo

Author: Ushadevi Cooking Method: Roasting, Sauteing Cuisine: Goan, Indian Courses: Curries & Side Dishes

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 20 mins Rest Time 20 mins Total Time 50 mins

Servings: 9

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 1 kg Beef (Cubed)
• 3 Onion sliced
• 2 Tomatoes chopped
• 15 Garlic cloves
• ¹⁄₂ inch Ginger
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilly powder
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Red Chilly Powder
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 tablespoon Vinegar (Toddy vinegar is preferred)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Sugar (Optional)
• Salt and Oil as required

Instructions

1. First of all, marinate the beef pieces with salt only and set them aside for some time.
2. Now let’s prepare the masala paste by grinding together:
3. 10 garlic cloves, ginger, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chilli powder, and turmeric powder.
4. Grind into a smooth paste using a little water if needed.
5. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and sugar. Set this aside — this will give the dish its signature tang and balance.
6. Deep-fry the sliced onions until golden brown and keep them aside.
7. In a large pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and sauté chopped tomatoes for a few minutes until soft.
8. Add the masala paste to the tomatoes and sauté on low flame until the oil starts to separate.
9. Now add the beef pieces and the fried onions. Mix well so the meat is fully coated with the masala.
10. As a final step before pressure cooking, add the vinegar-sugar mix and stir everything together.
11. Transfer the entire mixture to a pressure cooker and cook until the beef is tender (about 3–4 whistles or as needed).
12. Once done, open the cooker — you might notice some excess liquid released from the beef.
13. Cook uncovered on medium flame until the curry thickens and reaches the desired consistency.
14. Your rich, tangy, and flavorful Beef Vindaloo is ready! Best served with Appam or Kallappam.