Chicken Vindaloo (Balsamic vinegar style)

Confessions of a quickly turning Goan

It's really a sign of turning Goan when you choose to make your own Vindaloo, and you dare to improvise and adopt new flavours in your own kitchen, than just go out and get some Vindaloo!

This is another original recipe concocted by Anand, after much trial and error and permutations and combinations. But the winning factor, I think, is the use of Balsamic vinegar, as opposed to regular vinegar.

Believe him, like I did, and try this one out.

What you need:
900 gms diced chicken

For the spice mixture
1.5 teaspoon black peppercorns
1.5 teaspoon mustard seeds (black)
1.5 teaspoon cumin
2 medium sized stick of cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
10 cloves
6 red chillies (vary as per capacity for spice)
1 petal star anise
1 bay leaf

For the marinade
3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons freshly crushed ginger + garlic
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons tomato puree

For the curry
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 large onions diced
2-3 medium tomatoes diced

What you need to do:
Wash, chop and get your chicken ready to marinade in a non-metallic bowl.

To prepare the spice mixture, begin by roasting all the whole dry spices on a low flame for about 5-6 minutes, till the aroma wafts through your kitchen.

Set aside to cool, and then grind to a fine powder.

Add the turmeric and salt to the chicken. Quickly crush up some fresh ginger and garlic (about 3 teaspoonfuls) and add it in too.

Next, in goes the Balsamic vinegar, followed by the puree.

Then, add in the spices and mix well with your fingers, so the chicken is evenly coated and sinks into the marinade.

Cover up in foil, and let this sit for up to 8 hours. Marinading it overnight usually results in wonderful deeply flavourful Vindaloo. But if you're badly planned like me anything from 4-8 hours should do.

In a pressure cooker add some oil and sauté onions till translucent. Add the coriander powder and stir till lightly cooked.

Next, throw in the diced tomatoes and cook till slightly soft.

Then, pour in the chicken with the marinade. Add water at this stage if necessary. cook for a short while and then shut with the pressure weight on.

Pressure cook for about 10 minutes on high and 10-15 minutes on sim. Once open, add salt if necessary.

Done!

This Vindaloo turned out darker than is usually is, presumably because I used Balsamic vinegar. However, it didnt disappoint. So much so that I'm considering pre-preparing the spice mix in bigger quantities, to enable making it more often.

It is best enjoyed, as we had it, with pao on the side. And if you can get your hands on Goan Poi, there's really nothing like it :P

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Chickey Curry. My way!

..OR what to do with marinated meat

This is a product of what happens when you have leftover meat that must be used pronto, and youre out of seemingly innovative recipes.

Im bored of the regular chicken curry I make at home, and I suspect the husband is too. Trouble is, I had some marinated chicken leftover from the batch I contributed to the BBQ lunch we went to on Sunday. I would have hated for the whole batch to go to waste, so I decided it must be put to good use.

The outcome was tasty, and the process of making it was quick and uncomplicated. The gravy was home cooked yet had that hint of "something special", out of the ordinary home-cooked menu. I think theres definitely going to be a repeat of this one.

Heres what I did..
What I used:
Chicken (enough for 2 people)
3 tbsps tandoori masala
3 tsps freshly made ginger-garlic paste
Juice of half a lime
4 tbsps thick curd
A pinch of salt (lesser than you would require)

2 medium tomatoes chopped
2 small onions chopped
2 green chillies chopped
A small handful of chopped coriander
A small piece of cinnamon, some cardamom and 2-3 cloves

How I made it:
First of all, I must say that the chicken I used, soaked in the marinade for over a day, so that probably made a huge difference. However, I think a few hours (3-4) should do the trick all the same.

Chop up the chicken and let it soak in the lime juice and salt for 15-20 minutes. Then, add in the curd, tandoori masala and ginger-garlic paste and let it sit for a good long while.



To prepare the gravy, in a little oil, saute onions, chillies, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves till the onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and continue to saute till tomatoes are cooked well.



Once this is done, turn off the heat, throw in the chopped coriander and mix well. Set aside and allow this to cool completely.



Once completely cooled, blend the onion+tomato+coriander in a mixie till smooth.

In a pan with a little bit of oil, add marinated chicken and saute till semi cooked. Add the pureed onion+tomato+coriander and simmer till chicken is fully cooked.



Done!