August 31, 2023

Authentic Pork Vindaloo Recipe

By Josefina Pagani – August 30, 2023

This post may contain Affiliate Links. Please read my Privacy Policy.

This authentic pork vindaloo recipe is one of my favorites whenever I want to have something special and treat myself after a long, busy day. It’s a great dish if you, like me, enjoy bold and vibrant taste experiences. It is also a great recipe that you can make ahead and freeze. You will have pork vindaloo ready whenever you feel like it! I love Freezer-friendly recipes!

What is Vindaloo?

Whenever I try new, interesting, and tasty food dishes, I always want to know where they come from. I love Indian food; it’s actually one of my favorites at the moment, but I remember when I first came across this classic Indian curry and wondered what exactly “vindaloo” meant. If you’ve never heard of this dish, you may be wondering, What the heck is vindaloo?!

Well, in brief, vindaloo is the name given to an Indian curry that is traditionally made with pork. The name “vindaloo” comes from the Portuguese words “vinho,” which means wine or vinegar, and “alho,” which means garlic. Over time, this dish evolved, incorporating Indian spices and flavors. The result is this delicious curry, nowadays called Pork Vindaloo.

Pork vindaloo is a highly popular, full of flavor Indian curry that originated in the region of Goa, a coastal state in southwestern India. This fantastic curry is primarily known for its rich and tangy flavors as well as its spiciness. It is typically made by marinating and cooking low-and-slow chunks of pork together with a mix of spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, mustard seeds, and Kashmiri chillies for some heat. One of the main ingredients, if not the most important, of an authentic pork vindaloo is vinegar, which gives this curry its characteristic tangy flavor.

Is Pork Vindaloo Spicy?

In my opinion, it’s not Pork vindaloo without a certain amount of heat. It just doesn’t taste right. It´s the contrast between hot and sour flavors, along with all the spices, that makes this a great dish.

Generally, it tends to be quite spicy, but it does not have to blow your head off. Having said this, any dish is exactly as hot as you would like it to be, as you can put in as much or as little chili as you want, depending on your taste.

What does pork Vindaloo taste like?

The authentic pork vindaloo recipe is characterized by its spicy and tangy flavors. This is primarily because of the combination of vinegar with the spices and hot chilies. I just love how aromatic this curry is! As you cook it, your kitchen will be filled with the smell of spices.

What you need to make this authentic pork vindaloo recipe

Equipment:

Chopping board
Knife
Skillet
Mini blender or spice grinder
Dutch Oven
Medium-size Bowl

Ingredients:

Pork shoulder: I choose pork shoulder as it has a good amount of fat, which is ideal as it cooks low and slow. Pork butt would also work in this recipe.
Ghee: You can use healthy fats like coconut oil, ghee, or olive oil to cook the dish, as these fats align well with a keto diet.
Dried Kashmiri chillies: these chillies are the ones typically used in Indian recipes; they are not too spicy. If you don´t have any on hand, you can replace them with a mix of Parika with a small amount of cayenne pepper (I would use a 3:1 ratio).
Spices: Mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, whole cloves, black peppercorns, and turmeric powder.
Onions: just one large or two small white onions.
Garlic cloves: lots of garlic in this recipe!
Fresh ginger: I don´t peel it; you just don´t need to, as it will go into the blender.
Vinegar: Coconut vinegar is the one traditionally used in this recipe, but if you don´t have this in your pantry, you can just use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Salt: I use Hymalayan
Sugar (optional): I use just a teaspoon of coconut sugar, but you can use any sweetener. If you don´t want to add sugar, you can leave it out. It´s optional.
Water: I use filtered water.
Cilantro: I love cilantro! It adds a fresh lemony touch that goes really well with the richness of this curry.

How to make this authentic pork Vindaloo recipe

Dry roast the whole spices (Kashmiri chillies, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, and peppercorns). Just place the spices in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 to 15 seconds. This will help bring out all the flavors in them.
Take the skillet off the heat when you start to smell the spices.
Grind the roasted spices in a spice/coffee grinder or blender until you get a fine powder.
Add the onions, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and a dash of water to the blender, and blend until you get a paste.
Cut the pork shoulder into 2 inch pieces. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook. However, I find that 2-inch pieces are the ideal size.
Put the meat into a bowl and add the salt, turmeric, salt, and one third of the spice paste.
Mix this all together so all the meat is well coated.
Marinate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a large Dutch oven or any heavy-bottom pan.
Add the mustard seeds and wait until they start to sizzle and pop.
Add the remaining spice paste and cook until it turns brown. You will see the paste get drier; that is exactly what you are looking for.
Add the marinated meat and stir-fry on high for a few minutes.
Add a cup of water and reduce the temperature to medium-low.
Put the lid on and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
Check it while it is cooking and give it a stir from time to time.
Check with a fork if the pork is soft; if it is, take the lid off and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes so the sauce gets thicker.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Serve and enjoy!

What to serve with this authentic pork vindaloo recipe:

Serve it the traditional Indian way:

Whenever I have friends over, I like to serve my pork vindaloo the traditional Indian way, with some basmati rice, naan or roti bread (gluten-free for me!), and some yogurt sauce.

Make it Keto-friendly:

Cauliflower rice and some yogurt sauce on the side is how I serve mine lately, as I generally watch my carb intake. Miss the Naan a bit, though!

You can cook some store-bought cauliflower rice or make your own with a food processor. If you don´t have one, I show you three methods to make your own cauliflower rice without a food processor.

Net carbs in This Authentic Pork Vindaloo Recipe

Serving size: 1/4 recipe / Servings Per Recipe: 4

Net Carbs per serving 5,5 grams

Please note: values are calculated with food package labels and my USDA nutritional values, they may not be 100% accurate.

This post may contain affiliate links; Please see my privacy policy for more information.

Disclaimer: Recipes and articles on this website should not be taken as medical advice. You should talk to your doctor before starting any diet or cutting any food from your diet.