One of my favourite things to make for Friday Night Curry is pork vindaloo.
I spent a relaxing holiday in Goa a few years ago - it was very different to lots of the other parts of India I'd visited, a much more easy going than the big cities. The food was also delicious. There's a big cashew industry, so you find a lot of them in dishes. I also got to visit a spice farm and it was really interesting to see things like pepper and nutmeg growing - and made me realise just how little I actually know about where spices come from.
The Portuguese influence is very obvious in Goa and it's said that vindaloo has its roots in a Portuguese dish: Carne de Vinha d' Alhos, pork cooked with wine and garlic. Vindaloo subsitutes wine vinegar for wine, which gives a lovely tang against the sweet pork.
Although pork is more common, it's also traditional to make it with duck, with gives a similar sweetness. If I'm making this with pork shoulder, I would normally marinate the pork in the spice paste for a couple of hours first but there's really no need to do that with duck.
I spent a relaxing holiday in Goa a few years ago - it was very different to lots of the other parts of India I'd visited, a much more easy going than the big cities. The food was also delicious. There's a big cashew industry, so you find a lot of them in dishes. I also got to visit a spice farm and it was really interesting to see things like pepper and nutmeg growing - and made me realise just how little I actually know about where spices come from.
The Portuguese influence is very obvious in Goa and it's said that vindaloo has its roots in a Portuguese dish: Carne de Vinha d' Alhos, pork cooked with wine and garlic. Vindaloo subsitutes wine vinegar for wine, which gives a lovely tang against the sweet pork.
Although pork is more common, it's also traditional to make it with duck, with gives a similar sweetness. If I'm making this with pork shoulder, I would normally marinate the pork in the spice paste for a couple of hours first but there's really no need to do that with duck.
Ingredients:
2 duck legs
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 black peppercorns
Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 tsp corriander seeds
Half tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp garlic paste
Half tsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 finely chopped onion
1 tin chopped tomato
1 tsp muscovado sugar
1 tsp black mustard seeds
A handful of unsalted cashews
How to make it:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c/gas 4
2. Season the duck legs with salt and pepper, place skin up on a baking tray and roast for 1 hour 30 mins.
3. Grind the cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves and corriander with a pestle and mortar until fine.
4. Put half the onion, ground spices, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, chilli and vinegar in a blender and blend to produce a smooth paste.
5. Fry the other half of the onion until golden brown.
6. Add the spice paste and fry until the oil starts to come out but don't let it burn.
7. Add the tomato and sugar, cover and simmer on mimimum heat for 40mins.
8. Remove the duck from the oven and allow to rest for at least 30mins.
9. Taste the sauce and adjust the sugar/vinegar/chilli balance as needed.
10. Remove the duck meat from the bones - try and keep it quite chunky if you can.
11. Stir the duck into the sauce and let it warm through.
12. Meanwhile, in a separate pan add a little oil and fry the mustard seeds until they pop.
13. Add the cashews and fry until they turn golden brown - keep them moving or they will burn.
14. Add the cashew/mustard seed/oil mix straight into the sauce and stir.
15. Serve immediately with rice or bread.
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