Beef Vindaloo & Coconut Rice

“Curry” is an anglicisation of the Tamil word kari, a generic term for anything served alongside rice or breads rather than a reference to any single dish or set of ingredients. It has been part of the British palate since the 1700s, and the first curry recipe to appear in Britain featured in Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy in 1747.

The range of curries to explore is vast, from a mild korma to a hot vindaloo and plenty besides. Vindaloo is associated with the Indian state of Goa, but its origins lie in Portugal: the word does not come from Hindi, as is often assumed, but from vin d’alhos, meaning wine and garlic in Portuguese. On its arrival in Goa the wine was substituted for vinegar, and in time the dish took on the name vindaloo.

Vindaloo is traditionally made with pork, though beef and lamb work well too. It has a vinegar-onion-garlic base, thanks to the Portuguese influence that still prevails in southern India. As a general rule, the further south you travel in India, the spicier the food becomes, and this version is a hot curry. Reduce the chilli if you wish, but be aware that the dish will lose some of its authenticity — it is meant to be hot, but not burning hot. If a poor experience with a takeaway vindaloo has put you off, a homemade version may well change your mind.

Cook the curry very slowly. Cheap cuts suited to slow simmering work best here, as the long cooking gives the spices and vinegar time to infuse and develop in flavour.

Beef Vindaloo

Serves 3–4

For the marinade

• 5cm piece cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Seeds from 12 cardamoms
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 5cm piece ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons tamarind liquid
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chilli powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar

For the curry

• 750g boneless shin of beef, cut into 3cm thick medallions
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 3 fresh green chillies, halved lengthways and deseeded
• 100ml water

Method

1. Grind the cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamom to a powder.
2. Put the onion, garlic, ginger, tamarind, salt, sugar, chilli powder, turmeric, vinegar and the ground spices into a food processor and blend to a paste.
3. Mix the beef and the paste together in a large bowl, coating the beef well.
4. Cover the bowl and transfer to the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight.

To cook

1. Heat the ghee in a large, sturdy pan or casserole over a medium heat.
2. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, until softened and golden.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef with all its marinade paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, green chillies and water, cover with a lid and cook for 3 hours, until the meat is tender. Check every so often to make sure it has not become too dry.
5. If it has, add a splash of water and stir. Serve the beef vindaloo.

Prep time: 14 hours, including marinating time Cook time: 3 hours 30 minutes Total time: 18 hours 30 minutes

Coconut Rice

Serves 3–4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 2 teaspoons nigella seeds
• 300g basmati rice
• 400ml coconut milk
• 600ml freshly boiled water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 lime

Method

1. Melt the ghee in a heavy-based pan with a lid, add the nigella seeds and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant.
2. Stir in the rice, letting it get slicked with ghee and thoroughly mixed with the nigella seeds.
3. Pour the coconut milk, water and salt into the rice and stir gently.
4. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and put on the lid.
5. Cook for 15 minutes, by which time the rice should be cooked and the liquid absorbed.
6. Fluff up with a fork and serve.

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 20 minutes

A few bottles of Indian beer are mandatory.