Vindaloo paste is a great way to get restaurant results at home. You can make Indian restaurant vindaloo curry just like they do.
I cook a lot of curries. I cook in the restaurant style and I cook homestyle. But restaurant vindaloo has always been a difficult one for me. I can make a pretty good vindaloo but it always comes up a little short. Not quite what I taste when I hit my local Indian restaurant.
I’ve tried a bunch of different things. My restaurant vindaloo curry is the closest I’ve ever come. It’s good enough that I posted it. I don’t post recipes I can’t stand behind. People tell me it’s great. I fiddled with that recipe a lot. Still tinkering with it now.
But I want something more. I want it nailed. So I’ve started getting nosy. Pushing my way into Indian restaurant kitchens. Asking all sorts of questions.
Vindaloo paste is what they use in my favourite Indian restaurants
Restaurants will share if you are enthusiastic. And polite. If they recognize you. I think they are happy you care enough to ask.
It’s not like it used to be. Where Indian restaurants guarded how they do what they do. Wouldn’t share. Thankfully those days are over.
So I got them to tell me. What they do is make vindaloo paste. Big batches of it. Like the jars of vindaloo paste you can get in grocery stores. But better. Much better.
Hydrated chilies make a great vindaloo paste
Problem with Indian restaurants is they won’t give you all their secrets. They’ll point you in the right direction. But it’s up to you to figure things out.
So I started researching. Experimenting. Things were moving in the right direction. But it wasn’t perfect. So I borrowed an idea from my laal maas recipe. Hydrating the chilies. That was it. I am happy.
This vindaloo paste is great for Indian restaurant style. Try it in this restaurant chicken vindaloo. It works for homestyle curries too. Either way it’s an easy way to great a great curry on the table at home.
vindaloo paste
Ingredients
- 15 kashmiri chilies
- 1/4 cup garlic ginger paste
- 1 tsp black pepper coarse grind
- 2 shallots
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp jaggery sugar or brown sugar
- 4 tsp malt vinegar
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Seed the dried chilies. You will need to break them into pieces to do it. That's OK.
- Pour really hot water over the chilies and leave to hydrate. You may need to drain and add a second batch of hot water. This takes up to an hour, depending on the chilies.
- Combine all the ingredients in a small food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Then puree until smooth.
- If it won't go, add a splash of water. It takes a while to really puree. Be patient.
