Sunday Bhoj

Chicken Vindaloo

Background:

Just in case you thought Vindaloo has very close relation to ‘aloo’ [potatoes], its not. Vin stands for vwine/vinegar and the ‘aloo’ stands for garlic. The name Vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese dish “Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos”, which is a dish of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The dish was originally modified in Mumbai by the substitution of vinegar for the wine, and the addition of red Kashmir chillies (not as spicy but abundant in colour). The dish evolved into the vindaloo curry dish in Goa, with the addition of plentiful amounts of traditional spice and using palm vinegar instead of red wine. Alternate terms are vindalho or vindallo. Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lamb sometimes mixed with potatoes. Traditional vindaloos do not include potatoes, the discrepancy arising because the word “aloo” means “potato” in Hindi.

The popularity of the dish inspired the song “Vindaloo”, the unofficial anthem of the England football team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and it was prominently mentioned in the 1978 punk rock song “I Just Want to Have Something To Do” by American punk rock group the Ramones. It is also the favourite food of Dave Lister in the science-fiction comedy Red Dwarf, and is frequently depicted in the show. It was mentioned on the American TV show Outsourced where the main character Todd was tricked into the believing there was an Indian holiday honoring this dish.

Ingredients:

2 large onions
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick, crumbled
1 tsp chilli powder, or to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
6 cloves
2 tblsp white vinegar
1 tblsp brown sugar
90 gms ghree
1 1/2 kg chicken pieces

Method for chicken vindaloo:

Roughly chop 1 onion, combine in a blender or food processor with garlic, mustard, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, chilly, cumin, cloves, vinegar and sugar. Blend until smooth. Combine chicken in a bowl with spice mixture. Marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Slice remaining onion. Meld ghee in a saucepan and sauté onion for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender, stirring occasionally.