Recipe: Chicken vindaloo
Jun. 25th, 2014 22:29![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillAs I was looking for ways to use our embarrassment of plums (this is what happens when you suddenly inherit a bunch of plum trees because your brother bought the house next door), I was reminded of the time I used dates and green apricot puree to make the sweet-sour base for vindaloo. I did it because someone was avoiding refined sugar, but it turned out stupendously well, and I keep meaning to do it again.
So it occurred to me that if I grab a bunch of the almost-overripe plums (for sweetness) and cook up a few of the underripe but injured plums (for tartness), I could probably do a decent vindaloo. It might be worth a shot.
Anyway, here's the normal recipe. If you want to experiment like me, eliminate the tamarind and brown sugar, add tart and sweet fruit purees to the sauce instead, and keep tasting it.
Chicken Vindaloo
(adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-vindaloo-177572 , A Jeff Smith recipe)
serves 4
4 lbs chicken, skinned and cut in pieces
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 cups yellow onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 to 1.5 teaspoons cayenne pepper [woof]
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon ancho chile powder or smoked paprika
2 cups chopped tomatoes (about four medium)
1/2 cup water, or however much it needs
2 tablespoons dried tamarind, mixed with
4 tablespoons hot water, worked through a sieve, discarding the seeds
2 teaspoons brown sugar, approximately
2 teaspoons salt
Heat the ghee in a heavy pan. Add the onion to the pan and fry until brown. Toss in the cumin seed, garlic, and ginger, and cook until aromatic and toasted. Add the mustard seed, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cayenne, and paprika; stir a moment.
Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water, and stir until everything is mixed together. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes disappear and the sauce appears glossy. Add the tamarind, sugar to taste, and salt to taste (balance the flavors, and keep it a bit intense to accommodate the chicken). Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Simmer on medium to low heat until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking, and add water as needed to prevent sticking. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with rice.
So it occurred to me that if I grab a bunch of the almost-overripe plums (for sweetness) and cook up a few of the underripe but injured plums (for tartness), I could probably do a decent vindaloo. It might be worth a shot.
Anyway, here's the normal recipe. If you want to experiment like me, eliminate the tamarind and brown sugar, add tart and sweet fruit purees to the sauce instead, and keep tasting it.
Chicken Vindaloo
(adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-vindaloo-177572 , A Jeff Smith recipe)
serves 4
4 lbs chicken, skinned and cut in pieces
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 cups yellow onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 to 1.5 teaspoons cayenne pepper [woof]
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon ancho chile powder or smoked paprika
2 cups chopped tomatoes (about four medium)
1/2 cup water, or however much it needs
2 tablespoons dried tamarind, mixed with
4 tablespoons hot water, worked through a sieve, discarding the seeds
2 teaspoons brown sugar, approximately
2 teaspoons salt
Heat the ghee in a heavy pan. Add the onion to the pan and fry until brown. Toss in the cumin seed, garlic, and ginger, and cook until aromatic and toasted. Add the mustard seed, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cayenne, and paprika; stir a moment.
Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water, and stir until everything is mixed together. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes disappear and the sauce appears glossy. Add the tamarind, sugar to taste, and salt to taste (balance the flavors, and keep it a bit intense to accommodate the chicken). Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Simmer on medium to low heat until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking, and add water as needed to prevent sticking. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with rice.
