Saturday - December 18, 2010

Now That’s Hot

Vindaloo, Baby!

Remember that Vindaloo recipe video I posted a while back? This one?

4 bay leaves
1 tsp black mustard seed
1 tsp fenugreek seed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp green cardomom seed

grind these together into a fine powder

4 chopped green chilis
2 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander pwdr
1 tsp cumin pwder
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp hot chili powder

mix it all up, then add the other powdered spices

add 4 tbs white vinegar to moisten the mixture

4 breasts o chicken, cut up in 1/2” cubes. Or 1.5lb pork
spread paste on meat, cover and marinate

2 onions rough diced
3 chopped tomatoes or 1 big can?
boil 3 chopped potatoes until tender

fry onions in 2tbs ghee or sweet butter for 5 minutes until golden

more ghee in pan. Stir fry meat for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and onions. Add 150ml water, stir, boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

I made the recipe again, only this time with fresh spices from Penzey’s.  It was fine when I made it last time, but it seemed a little thin, and a little mild. So I made a double recipe, except that instead of 4x2=8 green chilis, I used 2 rather large jalapenos, seeded and mashed. And instead of 1x2=2 tsp hot chili powder, I used 4 generous teaspoons of freshly ground cayenne. This is not the lame weak kneed stuff McCormack’s sells in the grocery store. It’s the real deal.

And the spice mix was too damn hot. So I added in another generous teaspoon of tumeric, coriander, fenugreek, cardamom, and mustard seed to balance it out. And just a little more salt. And then a little more fenugreek. Then a little more tumeric. That seemed right. The spice paste was looking a bit dry at that point, so I wet it down with about a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. And I used olive oil instead of ghee for browning the onions.

I used 2 typically gigantic American skinless whole chicken breasts with back meat, so I’m guessing that was at least 2 pounds of meat. Maybe more like 3. Guess they smaller chickens in the UK. The meat got 4 hours marinading along with 1/2 chopped onion, then into the pan with the leftover onion juices and oil. While that was warming up and starting to sizzle, I quickly parboiled most of a bag of frozen okra slices, 2 sliced zucchinis, half a pound of halved carrot medallions, a rough diced yellow onion, and a julienned red pepper, green pepper, and a yellow pepper. Add a can of drained chick peas and a whole bag of frozen stir fry vegetables. Throw it all together, get it simmering, and add a large can of diced tomatoes with their liquid. Then 2 cans of coconut milk along with 1 1/2 cups of water.

This makes a really large pot of curry; my biggest chicken 12” frying skillet was filled right to the brim. For once, it’s a Drew dish that isn’t just meat and spices. There is plenty of veg going on. I should have used my giant pasta/lobster boiling pot. Simmer for about 45 minutes until it reduces somewhat, then serve over rice. Spice gruel will stick to the bottom of the pot, so stir often and scrape it up.

Remember this pic of Al Gore breathing fire? (I can’t find the animated one with the puppy) I know what he had for lunch! This is very potent curry, about as hot as I want to go. And I’m a Thai food junkie. But it isn’t just hot. There is a significant depth of flavor here because of the larger quantity of fresh spices. The coconut milk adds a note of sweetness too. It makes curry for 10 or 12, so I guess I know what I’ll be eating for most of the coming week!

Woo doggies, it’s hot though. Makes my cheeks sweat! And goes great with a couple bottles of Blue Moon white ale. Yumm! I gotcha Globull Warmin right here Al: say Ah!

PS - once again, the entire house smells like an Indian restaurant. Wow. Nearly 24 hours later, just walking in the front door is almost like a physical assault. Love it!!

Yes, I guess shy, retiring, sensitive tastebud types could go with less cayenne. 1 spoonful maybe. And only 1 jalapeno. And you’ll get a really rich Vindaloo without killer heat, which most people will find more enjoyable. But I like the fire along with the flavor.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/18/2010 at 03:28 PM   
Filed Under: • Fine-Dining •  
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