Vindaloo recipe

Looking for a fiery, spicy dish? Try our vegetable vindaloo! Our take on the traditional Indian recipe is packed with flavor, and is sure to satisfy your craving for heat. Our vegetable vindaloo is made with fresh vegetables and spices, and is cooked to perfection. Enjoy this dish as a main course or side dish.

Ask a British person what they ate at the weekend and there’s a good chance that it’ll be a curry.

We love our Indian curries, they are among our national dishes and we can’t get enough of them.

When we were in Asia, an Indian chef was about to explain to us all of the different Indian dishes at an International buffet, as soon as he heard our accents he said “oh you’re British, you’ll know more than I do!“

We’ve been lucky enough to try authentic Indian curry, in small villages in India, where we had the chance to speak to the people cooking them and learn how they layered their beautiful flavours.

And so we love sharing our Indian recipes with you so that you can recreate them in your home, wherever you are in the world.

What does vindaloo mean in Indian?

Vindaloo means different things to different people, ask a British person and they’ll say one of two things, firstly that it’s an eye-watering hot curry, one that when you go to Indian restaurants it’s almost an initiation to order one and it’s only for the bravest people.

Secondly, it’s a British football song by Fat Les written for the 1998 football world cup (seriously!).

But where it’s really come from and what it actually means originates in Goa, a state in India on the west coast.

Some of their cuisine incorporated Portuguese cuisine and its literal meaning is ‘meat in garlic marinade’, so it’s actually a Portuguese dish.

Obviously, our vegetable vindaloo doesn’t have any meat!

We use rocket chilli’s and the legendary scotch bonnet chilli’s!

Why is it so hot?

It’s all about the spices and chilies.

Our vegetable vindaloo is hot because we add chili powder and fresh chili.

How hot are scotch bonnets?

Chilli’s are measured in Scoville units, and this is based upon heat and spiciness.

Typically, a scotch bonnet rates at 100,00 – 350,000 units whereas a jalapeno chili, for example, rates at 2,500 to 8,000.

So, it’s clear to see why our vegetable vindaloo is hot!

That’s too hot for me, what curries are less spicy than a vindaloo?

Ok, we realize that the heat of our vegetable vindaloo recipe isn’t for everyone, not everyone enjoys or can take the heat.

There are many curries that are less spicy than a vindaloo (most of them actually).

So you may want to check out our other recipes paneer jalfrezi, vegetable bhuna, and our vegetable korma (the mildest of them all).

Is vindaloo the hottest curry?

Nearly. There actually is one curry that is hotter.

The phall is hotter than a vindaloo.

The phall is a whopping 300,000 Scoville units whereas the vindaloo is typically 100,000.

That means eating a phall curry is like eating a scotch bonnet! Wow! That’s hot!

What is the sauce made of?

Our spicy sauce has a whole host of delicious ingredients in it.

We use our wonderful homemade curry base, which works so well as a starting point for your vindaloo.

The spices we use are madras curry powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, kasoor methi, cardamom powder and chilli powder, they are such a wonderful mixture of spices that gives our vindaloo such depth.

Then we use our homemade ginger and garlic paste which is super easy to make at home.

Tomato paste, coriander (cilantro) malt vinegar, sugar and tamarind sauce also go into our sauce.

The vindaloo vegetables that we’ve used are okra, chickpeas and sweet potatoes, less is more with Indian food, keep it simple with your curry and serve side dishes to give the variety.

Then for the spicy chilli’s…! We use rocket chilli’s and a scotch bonnet.

This spicy sauce vindaloo is guaranteed to blow your head off!

What is okra?

When we first travelled to India, we were asked if we’d like ‘lady’s finger curry’.

Naturally, we didn’t have the slightest clue what this could be!

Then it was explained to us that ‘lady’s finger curry’ was, in fact, okra curry!

Look at an okra and it’s easy to why they are called lady’s fingers, their slim, long ridged shape lend themselves to the name.

The pod is a little fuzzy and inside there are rows of white seeds which are sticky because they release a mucilaginous liquid.

Because the flavour of okra is subtle, they work perfectly for a strong and very spicy curry, like our vegetable vindaloo.

Do I need to make a separate vindaloo paste?

No, you won’t need to make a vindaloo paste for our recipe.

Instead of making a separate vindaloo paste, we’ve incorporated all of the essential ingredients into our ginger garlic paste and our curry sauce base.

So, there’s no need for an additional vindaloo paste.

Do I need vegetable broth?

No, we use our wonderful curry base sauce, which, once cooked, adds a superb depth to your vegetable vindaloo, a depth that just can’t be replicated with a simple vegetable broth.

We use onion, garlic, ginger, chopped tomatoes, coriander powder (cilantro), cumin powder and fresh coriander (cilantro) and when it’s cooked it’s the perfect base for any Indian curry.

What can I substitute the vegetables with?

If you can’t get hold of or don’t love the vegetables that we’ve used, then that’s no problem, you can substitute whatever you prefer.

Cauliflower, bell pepper, butternut squash or green beans would all work well in this spicy Indian curry.

If you would like a meat substitute, then tofu cubes or your favourite chicken substitute would also be great.

Jarred vindaloo paste vs homemade vegetable vindaloo

Can you use store-bought vindaloo?

Yes, you can, but should you? We don’t think so.

You just can’t beat the freshness that making your own vegetable vindaloo from scratch brings.

The flavors, the spices are all so much better.

A jarred vindaloo paste may be a quick fix but if you want the real deal, without the preservatives, then it’s got to be homemade all of the way.

Do I need any special kitchen equipment to make this curry?

You’ll need different equipment for different stages.

For the curry base sauce, you’ll need a sharp knife, a chopping board, a large pot with a lid and a food processor or blender.

For the ginger and garlic paste, you’ll need a sharp knife, chopping board and food processor.

For the vegetable vindaloo curry, you’ll need a roasting tin for roasting the sweet potatoes and a large pan.

What do I serve with it?

If you eat in Indian restaurants, you’ll know that a spicy Indian curry is never meant to be served on its own.

When we were in India, our table used to be full of different dishes that the cook would bring for us to try, you’re not meant to be able to finish them all!

Naturally, you’d serve your vegetable vindaloo with rice, basmati rice or brown rice work very well.

Bread needs to feature, Peshwari naan, plain naan, chapati or rotis, one of them or a mixture.

Every Indian meal needs dahl to accompany it, try Tarka dhal or cauliflower dhal.

What kind of vinegar do you use?

The traditional Goan recipe uses palm vinegar but that’s really difficult to get hold of outside of India, so we use malt vinegar in our vegetarian vindaloo.

Some people mix white vinegar and malt vinegar together or even balsamic vinegar, the choice is yours.

Is it vegan?

Yes, our vegetable vindaloo is 100% vegan, so you don’t have to worry when catering for a vegan.

How do I store it?

The good news is that vegan vindaloo stores well.

You can keep it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 days (be warned it may get hotter if you are reheating it!)

It freezes really well too, so it’s great for batch cooking.

Place it into an airtight container or into portions in ziplock bags and it’ll keep for 3 months, so your vegetable vindaloo is ready and waiting whenever you want it for dinner.

Tips for making a fabulous vegetable vindaloo

• Keep a window open and make sure you have your fan on when you add in the scotch bonnet or you’ll have a coughing fit!
• Use gloves to slice the chilli’s, trust us, these bad boys can burn if you accidently put your finger in your eye or any other areas that are sensitive!
• Once you start cooking, you’ll need to add all of your ingredients fairly quickly so have them all prepped and ready to use.
• Double your quantities, batch cook, and freeze half so you can enjoy your new favorite Indian vegetarian dinner dish another time.

More Indian recipes for you to enjoy

If you like our vindaloo, then you should try these delicious Indian dishes; vegetable bhuna, aloo gobi, aloo tikki, cucumber raita, and onion salad.

How do I make it?

Indian cooking is always a pleasure and when you cook our vegan vindaloo recipe, you’ll see how rewarding it is!

A full printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

The first job to do is to make the curry base sauce, you don’t need to do this on the day of cooking your vegan vindaloo, it can be made ahead and you can even freeze it.

The next job is to make your ginger garlic paste and again, you can make this ahead and it freezes well too.

Now peel your sweet potatoes and then chop them into bite-sized chunks.

Place the sweet potatoes in a roasting tin and cook them on 200/392 until the sweet potato is cooked fairly soft, approximately 30 minutes.

With these all made, you now have to make your vindaloo spice mix.

Add madras curry powder, Kashmiri powder, kasoori methi, cardamon powder, freshly ground black pepper to a small bowl and stir it all together.

Now you’ll need to make your tomato paste.

Add water to tomato puree double concentrate. Stir it together until you have the consistency of a good passata sauce, it needs to be a smooth paste.

Wash and cut the stalk off your okra and set them aside, don’t cut or slice them, you need them to be whole.

Open a can of chickpeas and drain them.

Remove the leaves and finely chop the stems of your coriander (cilantro). Don’t discard the leaves as you can use them for garnish later.

Now you may want to wear gloves to slice the chilies but if you don’t, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after you chop them and DON’T touch your eyes or any…ahem…other sensitive parts of your body!

Take your rocket chili’s, remove the stalk, and finely slice them.

Now for your scotch bonnet, remove the stalk and finely dice it. Keep the seeds, it is a vindaloo and it’s supposed to blow your head off – but if you’re concerned of course remove them.

Now it’s time to get cooking!

Heat a frying pan (skillet) over medium heat and then add vegetable oil, it seems a lot, but you do need it.

Add ginger and garlic paste, stir consistently until it stops spitting.

Now add in your rocket chili, scotch bonnet, and coriander (cilantro) stalks.

We recommend opening a window and turning on your fan because the scotch bonnet can catch in your throat when cooking.

Now bring the heat down slightly and add in your spice blend. Make sure you stir it constantly for 30 seconds, don’t let it catch and burn.

Now you need to bring the heat up to medium-high heat and add in your tomato paste sauce that you made earlier, stir it until it starts to bubble, it’ll take around 45 seconds or so.

You’ll see it a fantastic deep ‘blow your head off’ color.

Now add a little curry base sauce and stir, until it starts bubbling, and then add a little more and repeat until all the curry sauce is in the pan.

Next, it’s time for malt vinegar, tamarind paste, and sugar, give it a good stir so it’s incorporated into the sauce.

Now it’s time for your vegetables so turn the heat down to medium-low and add in your sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and okra.

Stir so they are covered with the vindaloo curry sauce and let them gently simmer for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the vegetables are cooked, turn the heat off and serve in bowls.

Garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves if you’d like.

Serve with rice, naan, side dishes, and a little cooling raita.

Have a glass of water to hand.

Hot, hot, hot – enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this great recipe, and we’d love to hear how yours turned out!

Please leave a comment below and let us know and ask any questions you like.

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