WHAT IS VINDALOO? SUKHI’S CHICKEN VINDALOO RECIPE
Vindaloo is one of the most widely-used recipes in Indian culture! It’s one of the tastiest dishes in modern Indian cuisine and suits meat or vegetarian styles equally well. Explore everything you need to know about this spicy curry dish, from the meaning of “vindaloo” to its favorite side dishes.
What is Vindaloo?
Vindaloo is a spiced meat or vegetarian dish and one of the most popular Indian dishes today.
Vindaloo’s Meaning and European Origins
While this spicy dish is certainly one of the most popular in modern Indian cuisine, its origins likely extend beyond the Indian subcontinent.
Indeed, vindaloo’s home likely stems back to Portugal in the 15th century. As explorers like Vasco da Gama and Magellan charted the globe, they brought their cuisine and cultures with them, including a very popular Portuguese dish known as carne de vinha d’alhos (meat in garlic marinade).
Sound familiar? Many Indian food scholars today believe that vindaloo is actually an Indian variation of this ancient European meat dish.
As the dish spread in Indian regions like Goa, the dish took on new ingredients like palm wine, cardamom, and tamarind, while incorporating imports from the Americas like chili peppers. The result is a dish rich with slow-cooked meat or veggies swimming in incredible, spicy flavor.
Common Vindaloo Ingredients:
Before you start cooking your Indian vindaloo, you will need the right ingredients!
Typically, vindaloo is made up of vindaloo sauce, which is usually made from caramelized onions, curry paste, coconut milk, vinegar, ginger, chilies, jalapeño, garlic, chickpeas, lentils, and other spices like garam masala, salt, pepper, paprika, and turmeric.
If you want more texture or ingredients in your Indian vindaloo, you could add chicken breast, tofu, or even more veggies like zucchini, potatoes, and bell peppers. You could also adjust the amounts of chilies and jalapeños you put in depending on how spicy you like your food!
Which Vindaloo Spices to Use
When making vindaloo, the most important ingredients are arguably the spices. The most common spices to use in vindaloo are:
- Ginger
- Cumin
- Ground yellow mustard seeds
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Turmeric
- Cayenne pepper
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
Other ingredients that you might use are ghee, dried tamarind, lemon juice, and brown sugar.
If you’re in a pinch, you could always go with a more convenient option and buy Sukhi’s Vindaloo Sauce. Fortunately, this shortcut doesn’t skimp in the flavor department.
Rippled with golden caramelized onions, tangy vinegar, and all of your favorite Indian spices like cumin and turmeric, a simple 3-ounce packet is all you need to elevate a simple protein base into a mouthwatering entreé.
How Is Vindaloo Made?
Vindaloo can be made in several ways, depending on your time and budget.
- If you’re using Sukhi’s Vindaloo Sauce, simply add 1.25 lbs of meat or veggies into a saucepan with the sauce and sauté.
- Once hot, add ⅓ cup of water, cover, and simmer on high heat.
- When the chicken is fully cooked, add ⅓ cup of coconut milk, reduce to your preferred consistency, and enjoy!
- If you have an Instant Pot, you can follow this quick recipe by Two Sleeves and have a meal ready in just 30 minutes.
- If you want to whip up a chicken vindaloo recipe from scratch, then just follow our recipe for vindaloo chicken below!
Sukhi’s Chicken Vindaloo Recipe
Sukhi's Chicken Vindaloo
Ingredients
Vindaloo Masala Paste
- 10 dry Kashmiri red chilies
- 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 4 cloves
- 1-inch cinammon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
Curry
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 2 lbs skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
Vindaloo Masala Paste
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Add a splash of oil in a skillet and set to medium-high heat.
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Add peppercorns, cumin, mustard seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and chilies to the pan. Roast for about 3 minutes or until slightly browned, stirring often.
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Remove the skillet from heat and add roasted spices to the blender with tamarind paste, white vinegar, garlic, ginger, and ½ cup of water. Blend until smooth.
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Once it’s smooth, your vindaloo masala paste is done.
Curry
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Add the vegetable oil to a large pot. Set to medium-high heat.
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Once the oil is simmering, add onions. Stir frequently and cook for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
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Add chicken to pot and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often.
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Add tomato paste and vindaloo masala. Mix well.
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Add 1 cup of water, turmeric, and salt. Mix gently to incorporate.
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Cover the pot and cook at a simmer for 45 minutes.
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Add granulated sugar and cook for two more minutes.
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Enjoy!
What To Serve With Vindaloo?
So, you’ve made your Indian vindaloo — now what? There are many tasty sides to serve with your curry.
Hungry eaters in Goa often serve their vindaloo with pav (fluffy rolls) while others pair it with laccha or Kerala paratha (layered flatbread).
Here are some of the most popular sides to serve with your vindaloo:
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- Naan
- Basmati rice or Sukhi’s Lemon Rice
- Potatoes
- Chapatis
- Wraps
SERVE UP YOUR VINDALOO IN STYLE
From its Portuguese origins to its modern Indian success story, Vindaloo is one of the most beloved dishes in modern Indian cuisine.
Whether you love slow-cooked meats like chicken, fish, or pork, or you stick to a vegetarian lifestyle, there’s a vindaloo for everyone’s taste buds.
At Sukhi’s, we love keeping it simple and easy for those who want to enjoy mouthwatering spices and cuisine without eye-popping cooking times. Our Chicken Vindaloo immerses tender white chicken in a delicious curry bursting with ginger, garlic, and chili flavor.
Oh, and each serving delivers a healthy 22 grams of protein! While you’re at it, try one of our other recipes or learn more about Indian cuisine!
22 responses to <strong>WHAT IS VINDALOO? SUKHI’S CHICKEN VINDALOO RECIPE</strong>
LOVE your Chicken Vindaloo!!! Its unfortunate that it cannot be found in Portland Oregon.
Oh no! We’d love to help you find a place around you that carries Sukhi’s Chicken Vindaloo. Can you share your zip code with us?
You can, or at least used to be able to find it in the PDX area. We bought some about 7 or 8 years ago, most likely from a Safeway or Albertsons store in the Hillsboro area or the (then) Lamb’s Thriftway market in Wilsonville. We no longer live in Oregon, but I did not open it until recently as it got lost in the back of a cupboard, but it was still good.
They have it at Costco in Aloha, Or. We bought it recently. Thanks for the recipe. We’re going to try and use it as paste on a brisket that we’re going to smoke for 10-12 hours. Will report back how it turns out!
That sounds DELISH! waiting to know how your briskets turned out 🙂
Thank you! We’re sorry to hear that you are not able to find it at your local stores. But, don’t worry – you can purchase it through our online store. https://store.sukhis.com/collections/entrees/products/chicken-vindaloo-curry So now you can stock up on Chicken Vindaloo and other favorites!
This isnt vindaloo. It’s primarily made with pork. This dish has not been researched at all.
You are correct, traditionally Vindaloo is made with pork and that’s how it is made in a traditional Goan kitchen. The recipe we are sharing here is a more approachable version of a traditional Vindaloo recipe which can be cooked and enjoyed even by vegetarians or by people who do not eat pork.
Because of u all my mouth get very ???????????? I want to taste it…
Anyone will help me in making this recipe..plz
The way I understand it. The original Vindaloo was brought over to Goa by Portugese sailors. Pork was stored in wine and garlic for the sea journey but the wine tended to turn to vinegar. Locals generally did not eat pork and adapted the dish to other ingredients such as chicken. Therefore, proving the dish contains the basic Vindaloo ingredients, it is authentic as far as I’m concerned.
I’m Portuguese and I can attest to that! Even today, some traditional Portuguese sausages must have meat which was kept in wine and garlic (and bayleaf!) for at least 3 weeks.
Vndaloo is based on the Portuguese dish, “carne de vinha d’alhos.”
When the Portuguese arrived in Goa, the Goans living in India (who didn’t then know Portuguese) called it “vindaloo” (which phonetically sounds the same).
Vinha d’alhos in Portuguese Means “Marinated in Garlic Wine“ . Portuguese Sailors in those days carried With them Pork Marinated in Wine preserved in Wooden Barrels when ever they set sail . When the Portuguese Sailors arrived and settled in Goa Shores their Local Cook prepared a dish with Local spices and included the ’Wine Marinated Pork ’to the curry and the Curry got the Name Vindaloo from there on .
Vindaloo is NOT Vindaloo without vinegar… Preferable coconut toddy vinegar
Have tried several of your packaged dishes & find them delicious. I just ate with friends at a local Indian restaurant here in Arlington, TX: Indian Bistro 14. The lamb vindaloo was outstanding, like all their dishes. I look forward to cooking this dish myself. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you! So glad you enjoy Vindaloo curry. Let us know how it turns out.
We have purchased your Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Biryani, Chicken Coconut Curry with Mango, and enjoyed all of them. We love Sukhi’s foods, and look forward to eating more varieties….we puchase them at our local Costco Store in Charlotte, N.C.
Thank you so much! So glad that you have tired so many of our curries. Look out for more new items at Costco soon. If you want to know about new products you can subscribe for our newsletter at Sukhis.com (in the bottom of page).
I’m going to look for these in Costco…how is the salt content in these per serving?
Hi Bernadette,
You can use our Store Locator to search for a specific item. Or you can purchase our sauces online at Sukhis.com
The sodium content for our Vindaloo sauce is 520mg/serving. Hope you enjoy cooking with Sukhi’s convenient curry sauces!
You mention in the description that coconut milk is used. I’ve never known vindaloo to use any kind of milk/cream. However, I do see in the recipe you don’t add the afore mentioned milk.
How do you store unused paste? Does it need to be refrigerated?