Of all the foreigners to arrive on the shores of India, it was the Portuguese that played the most important role in the cooking of India – not because of their cooking, per se but because of the fact that they were such important traders and not only brought the products of the New World to India but also opened the sea routes for the other European countries that soon followed suit and soon thereafter began trading with India. The Portuguese established and lived in Goa until 1961 and, over and above the tomatoes, potatoes and chillies  that we have already mentioned, they also introduced vinegar – so important in Indian cooking

today. The use of vinegar is vital to Indian cooking and is the important souring agent used in the vindaloo dishes (interestingly influenced by the Portuguese)  and so, here’s our recipe for Chicken Vindaloo.

Ingredients

• 1,5 kg chicken pieces
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 tsp ground yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick, crumbled and ground in the grinder
• 1 – 3 tsp ground chilli – it’s here where the heat is controlled
• 2 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 6 green cardamom, finely ground
• 4 large allspice, ground
• 6 cloves
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 120 g butter or ghee

Method

• Put one of the finely chopped onion, the garlic, the mustard seeds, the turmeric, the fresh and ground ginger, the cinnamon, the chillies, the cumin, the cloves, the allspice, the cardamom, the vinegar and the sugar in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Place the paste and the chicken in a large Ziploc bag, seal and shake like mad so that every part of the chicken is covered in the mixture and allow to rest of 6 hours.
• Melt the butter or ghee in a saucepan and sauté the remaining onion for about 2 minutes until translucent and then add the chicken pieces, sauté for about 3-4 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan and simmer until the chicken is tender – around 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.