Lamb Vindaloo Curry (Stove Top & Instant Pot)
Lamb vindaloo features slow-cooked tender, chunks of boneless lamb, lovingly coated in a rich tangy, and spicy homemade vindaloo sauce. Serve with white basmati rice and a fresh salad.
Ingredients
For Vindaloo Paste
- 12-15 whole dry red chilies like Kashmiri chilies, or use 1 tablespoon kashmiri red chili powder + 1.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder (for heat & color)
- ⅓ cup hot water for soaking the chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 6 cloves
- 12 black peppercorns
- 2 inch cinnamon stick break into small pieces to aid grinding
- ¼ star anise it' s a strong spice, break a flower into quarters
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger rough chopped
- 5 garlic cloves rough chopped
- 1.5 tablespoon cider vinegar or use white vinegar
For Vindaloo Curry
- 650 g stewing lamb I use boneless lamb leg cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 5 tablespoon Cooking oil any neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1.5 cup onion 3 medium onions, finely chopped
- 8-10 curry leaves skip if not available
- 1 teaspoon jaggery or to taste
- 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp or to taste, use 1 teaspoon vinegar to finish if you dont have tamarind
Instructions
MAKE VINDALOO PASTE
- Place the dry red chilies in a blender jar and pour hot water over them. Let them soak in the jar for 10-15 minutes or until they soften. Soaking in blender jar saves you an extra dish to wash!
- Once the chilies are soft, you can deseed a few if desired—it's easier to do this once they're rehydrated. Simply wear gloves, open up the chili skins, and scoop out the seeds using a knife or spoon.
- Drain the soaking water and reserve. To the chilies, add the coriander and cumin seeds along with star anise, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cloves. Also add the roughly chopped ginger and garlic.
- Add a bit of the soaking water (or as needed) to the blender jar. Blend the chilies and spices into a smooth paste. Your vindaloo spice paste is now ready. We will use it in combination with vinegar to make a flavorful vindaloo curry. Taste and adjust the heat with red chili powder to taste.
- Place the lamb pieces in a large bowl, sprinkle salt, add vinegar and half of the vindaloo paste, saving the rest for later.
- Toss the lamb pieces well to ensure they are evenly coated in the marinade. Cover, refrigerate and let marinate for 5-6 hours.
SLOW COOK VINDALOO CURRY
- In a heavy bottomed pot (I use 4 qt Dutch oven), warm up the oil on medium heat.
- Temper the hot oil with black mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds pop else they will remain bitter.
- Add the chopped onions next and on medium heat, brown the onions for 5-6 minutes. Don't let turn dark brown else the taste of onion gets overpowering.
- Carefully, add the reserved vindaloo paste to the golden brown onions. It might splutter. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the marinated lamb to the pot. On medium-high heat, fry the lamb pieces, stirring intermittently, for about 8-10 minutes to sear them on all sides. This searing process seals the meat and the browned edges boost the flavor.
- Scatter the fresh curry leaves over the browned lamb pieces and add in about ½ cup to ¾ cup of hot water. Using the cooking spoon, scrape the browned bits from the bottom(deglaze the pot).
- Cover the pot for about 1 to 1.5 hours and let simmer on low heat. Adjust time as needed. You will need to keep an eye and stir frequently. If you feel that the pot needs liquid, add a splash of water so that sauce at bottom of pot isn't burning.
- Once the lamb is quite tender (98-99 percent cooked), add in the jaggery and tamarind pulp and mix well. If you do not have tamarind, mix in 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of vinegar.(Why we are adding tamarind- As the vindaloo cooks, the vinegar in marinade evaporates so you might need to adjust the sourness at the end of cooking. )
- Cover again and let cook for about 5-10 minutes more until lamb is fully fork tender. You could cook longer depeding on how soft you like the meat.
USING INSTANT POT OR PRESSURE COOKER
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté mode and let it heat up.
- Warm up the oil and fry up the onions. Add the reserved vindaloo paste and fry with onions.
- Add the marinated lamb and stir to fry until browned on all sides. Mix in the curry leaves.
- Pour in the hot water. Give everything a mix.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, with valve set to the sealing position. Select the Manual or Pressure Cook mode and set the timer for 8-10 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid, stir the curry, and taste for seasoning. Add jaggery, tamarind and adjust the salt if needed. Serve warm.
Notes
Serving Ideas
- Serve lamb vindaloo in a deep, wide light colored bowl to allow for visual appeal of the fiery sauce to shine and also for easy access to the flavorful sauce and tender lamb pieces. A garnish of few fresh curry leaves or chopped coriander leaves add a touch of color.
- White rice is the most common side dish with vindaloo. Pair lamb vindaloo with steamed basmati rice or jeera rice.
- You could add refreshing sides such a cooling cucumber raita or fresh kachumber salad to tame the intensity of the meal.
- Oil - Besides being hot & tangy, vindaloo curries are supposed to be bit on oily side to allow for the meat and spices to cook properly. You can skim the oil at the end of cooking if you wish. However make sure to cook it in optimum oil.
- Red Color of Vindaloo - Vindaloo isn't always reddish because the traditional recipe doesn't rely heavily on tomatoes, which are often used in many Indian curries to give them a red hue. Instead, the color of vindaloo comes from the spices and the red chilies in marinade. Red chilies can vary in intensity and color. Additionally, as red meat cooks, it tends to achieve a brownish color releasing its juices in the sauce. Lastly, the vinegar used in vindaloo can also affect its color,making the vindaloo sauce more brownish or orange rather than bright red.
- Using Potatoes -If you wish to add 1 medium size potato to lamb vindaloo, add halved or thirded potatoes during the last 15-20 minutes of simmering the curry. Make sure to add the potatoes before you add the jaggery. After cooking, the potatoes should be fork-tender but still firm. Also, you will need to adjust salt in the recipe since potatoes need extra salt.
- Marinate Well - Don't skip steps of marinating the meat. This allows the flavors to penetrate the meat thoroughly.
- Tomatoes - If desired, add 1-1.5 tablespoon tomato paste or 3-4 tablespoons of tomato puree while the vindaloo is slow cooking.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!