Vindaloo and Courgette Curry

I do love a curry, there's no way of hiding this.This dish is really famous in Goa. Vindaloo is know to be a very fiery spicy dish. The fiercest of them all. Therefore when you cook it your self, you can control the heat of your meal. I don't mind spicy food. But I don't want to ruin the flavours either. Plus I have to kids to feed too and I'm sure they won't like that. I will cook mine with some left over beef . But you can use stewing beef cut in about 1 cm cube.

For the Vindaloo

Ingredients

1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp dried chili flakes
1tsp black peppercorns
5 green  cardamon pods. ( just the inner seeds)
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 red onion finely sliced
2.5 cm root ginger
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
700g cooked beef cubed ( I left mine quite chuncy as it's already all so tender)

Courgette Curry

Ingredients

2 courgette's about 400 g
Oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cumin
A pinch  salt
1 tbsp tomato puree'
1 can chopped tomatoes
150 ml of water

For the white and yellow rice

Ingredients

1 cup rice , divided in two different pots
2 knobs of butter
Olive oil
Salt
White pepper
1 tsp turmeric

Preperation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: up to an hour
Total Time: Over an hour
Serves 3
Level : Medium

Method

Best to start with the vindaloo first especially if you are nuseing stewing beef. With a pestle and mortal grind your seeds. The cumin, chillies , peppercorns, mustard seeds and cardamon seeds. This will take a while and some of your energy . But you need them in a fine powder.

 

 

Add the salt to the fine powder , the sugar and the vinegar. This will be a very thin paste. Leave on the side for a while . Soften your onion for about 10 minutes . With a hand blender ,blend you onion and then mix with the thin paste you just made.

 

 

 

Heat up some more oil in a pan and fry your meat if you are using the stewing meat. When browned all over remove and set a side. If you are using the cooked meat from your left over then skip this stage. Add the grated ginger and grated garlic to the pan with some oil, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the turmeric and corrainder to the pan and cook for a further minute. Now return the meat of add the meat to the pan. Stir it well with the spices in the pan and add your paste. Add 300 ml of water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for about an hour and a half if you  are using the stewing beef. Keep an eye on it , you might need to add another splash of water if gets to dry before the meat is tender enough.  If you have the left over meat then don't cover and leave it to simmer until sauce is thick and meat is warm .

Until that is bubbling away , you can get cracking with the courgettes. Slice them in 1cm thick circles. In a hot pan add some oil and add the mustard seeds and the cumin seeds to the hot pan. Cook them until they start popping out of your pan. Add the onion to the pan so the stop splattering all over the kitchen and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground chili , turmeric, coriander , cumin and salt. Stir it all and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the courgette and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the puree', a pinch of sugar and 150 ml of water. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer until you have a thick sauce and the courgettes are cooked all the way through.

 

 

 

 

When everything is nearly cooked get your rice ready to serve. Divide a cup of rice between to pots. Cover with water , add a knob of butter in each and drizzle some oil. A pinch of salt in both. Then in one of them add some white pepper and in the other add the turmeric. Cover and leave to cook until all the water is infused in the rice. Stir them up together . Serve alongside your curries and naan bread.