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Beef Vindaloo

Don't be scared off by this curry. If you live in the UK there is a good chance you will associate a Vindaloo with a searingly hot blistering curry with tons of flavour and heart burn potential. It's somewhat of a macho thing over there, a bit of a status symbol as to how hot you can handle it. (For a story about Indian food in the UK, click here). In India, however, especially Goa where this curry originates, there is no such stigma attached. Born out of a fusion between Indian and Portuguese, the Vin refers to the vinegar used. I ate a prawn Vindaloo in Goa, bright red with chili powder, sweet and slightly sour, it was hot, but not in a tear-inducing way.

Beef Vindaloo (Adapted from Curry : Fire and Spice by Mridula Baljekar)

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black peppercorns

5 green cardamon pods, seeds only

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp raw sugar

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

4 tbsp ghee

1 onion, chopped finely

2 lbs stewing beef, cut into cubes

1 inch piece fresh ginger, chopped small

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Grind the first 6 ingredients to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Add the salt, sugar and vinegar, mix well and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of ghee over medium heat and fry the onion for about 10 minutes until browned and very soft.

Combine the onion and spice mixture in a processor and pulse to a paste.

Chop the beef into pieces and fry on all sides until very brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the coriander and turmeric and fry for another 2 minutes, then add the spice and onion paste and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Return the meat to the pan along with 1 and 1/4 cups of water. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours until the beef is really tender. You can do this the day before and refrigerate when cool overnight. Generally, curries improve by the next day, so preparing them before hand is a good idea, (if you have that kind of luxurious time management).