Vindaloo

Quando assisti o musical Rent me apaixonei e decorei todas as letras. Em uma música cantavam "huevos rancherros and curry vindaloo". Huevos eu conhecia mas nunca tinha ouvido falar em vindaloo. Como acho que o importante não é saber tudo, mas saber que não sabe algo e querer aprender, fui alegremente fazer uma pesquisa sobre o assunto. Descobri que curry vindaloo é um prato indiano de Goa, que foi de domínio português por mais de 400 anos. Por isso foi para lá que os portugueses levaram o costume de marinar as carnes no que eles chamam de vinha d'alho (que tem como base vinho ou vinagre de vinho e alho), daí o nome! Soa parecido mesmo, não? Os indianos acrescentaram seus maravilhosos temperos e criaram o curry vindaloo. Além de ser popular em Goa hoje é também muito apreciado na Inglaterra, onde o chamam de “the king of curries”. A única vez que comi o prato foi no curso de comidas asiáticas no CIA e adorei.

English- Vindaloo is a popular Indian food dish. It was first brought to Goa by the Portuguese and soon became a pleasing Goan meal often served during special occasions. Historically this was a pork dish. The meat was marinated and then cooked with plenty of wine or wine vinegar and garlic, known as "Vinha d'Alho". However it soon received the Goanese treatment of adding plentiful amounts of spice and chili. Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lamb sometimes mixed with potatoes. Traditional vindaloos do not include potatoes, the discrepancy occured because the word "aloo" (derived from the Portuguese word "alho") means "potato" in Hindi.

Recipe:
◦ 1 tsp. cardamom seeds
◦ 1tbsp. chili powder
◦ 4 cinnamon sticks, 3” (75mm)
◦ 12 cloves, whole
◦ 1 tbsp coriander seeds
◦ 2 tsp. cumin seeds
◦ 2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
◦ 2 tsp. ginger, fresh, minced
◦ 1 tsp. black peppercorns, whole
◦ 2 tsp. salt
◦ 2 tsp. garlic, minced
◦ 2 tsp. mustard powder
◦ 2 tsp. turmeric powder
◦ 1 1/4 cups (285 ml) vinegar, malt or wine
◦ 4 lb (1.8 kg) pork (or beef, chicken, lamb) cubed
◦ 4-6 tbsp mustard oil or ghee
◦ 2 onions, medium, chopped
◦ 4 bay leaves

Gently dry roast the spices from cardamom through to peppercorns for about 5 minutes on top of the stove. Put in blender together with salt, garlic mustard and turmeric and add the vinegar to form a liquid. Add water if necessary. Place the meat in non-metallic bowl and the vinegar mixture. Mix well and leave to marinade for 24 hours, turning occasionally. Heat ghee or mustard oil and fry onion, cumin, garlic and onions until soft. Remove and set aside. Now fry the meat for a few minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add the vinegar mixture and onions and simmer until the meat is tender. Taste and add salt or more chili if necessary.