Vindaloo Sauce in Two Steps: Paste and Sauce

Inspired by one of our long-time favorite restaurants in Cape Cod where we vacationed for many years, this vindaloo sauce took me so long to perfect (for my taste) - spicy, hot (VERY), sweet and creamy all at the same time.  There is nothing else that I make that is anything like it for getting a massive dose of anti-inflammatory spice all in one meal. I developed my version of vindaloo in several steps.  First, I make a very hot and spicy paste and then mix the paste with all of the other ingredients to create the vindaloo sauce.  For the vindaloo paste, my dear friend Bev, from across the ocean in Australia, shared her favorite recipe that her family of chefs use.  It even came with a warning not to put your face too close to the pan because the intense heat from the spices could make your eyes water!  Here it is:

Vindaloo Ingredients:

For the vindaloo paste:

2T cayenne pepper

4T cumin

2T turmeric

2T ground coriander

2T black pepper

2T hot mustard powder

2T salt

1T crushed red pepper flakes

Grated fresh ginger - I really don’t measure this - I just use a lot - around a finger-length

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

½ c olive oil

Mix all the spices and the vinegar together to make a paste.  Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add the paste, stirring regularly for about 5-6 minutes until the spices are fully blended with the oil.  This will make about 10-12 tablespoons.  I separate them out into containers of 2-3 tablespoons each and freeze what I do not use right away.  

For the sauce: 

1 can of full-fat coconut milk

2-3 tomato paste

½ c. chicken broth (a little more or less depending on how thick you want the sauce)

2-4 T brown sugar or coconut sugar (to taste)

Put all of the sauce ingredients in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of the vindaloo paste over medium-high heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes until fully blended.  Done!

Many Ways to Use Vindaloo

Towards the end of the cooking time for the sauce, you can add in chicken, shrimp, beef, or anything else you might want to eat with vindaloo- including, my favorite, lobster - and continue over medium heat until any additions are cooked all the way through.  I like to serve the vindaloo over rice or brown rice noodles and roasted vegetables.  One of the best parts about this recipe is that the paste recipe makes enough to freeze about 4-5 individual portions allowing me to make several meals out of it.  Once the paste is already prepared, the second step of the process, making the sauce and adding in any protein or vegetables, takes less than 15 minutes to throw together. A quick and easy meal that is full of flavor and heat.

Please let me know if you try this recipe and as always, reach out if I can help you establish a meal plan or set up healthy recipes to meet your health goals.