By: Author Dan Toombs
Posted on Published:
Make this vindaloo curry sauce and add your main ingredient/s of your choice
I featured a lamb vindaloo curry sauce recipe in my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’. Although in the book it is made with lamb, you can use the same sauce with other ingredients too.
In the book, the recipe serves four but here I’m giving you the downscaled version that serves 1 – 2 people just as they do at Indian restaurants.
The secret is in the sauce. You can add whatever main ingredient you like.
The curry house style vindaloo.
The vindaloo curries we get when we go out for a curry at a curry house are different to the original Goan pork vindaloo. This recipe is like those you get at the curry house.
Although quite spicy like the original vindaloo, the British vindaloo curry sauce is different. It is also a lot easier to make.
There was a time when ordering a vindaloo curry meant getting the same as a plain curry or Madras but with more curry powder in it.
Luckily, that is not longer the case. The British vindaloo curry sauce has its own unique flavour to the others.
Working ahead.
If you are planning a curry feast, large or small, it is often a good idea to do as much forward preparation as possible.
You could actually make this sauce a day or two before serving. It will even get better as the flavours develop.
If you are just making the sauce, you could ask people which meat or even paneer they would like in their vindaloo curry sauce.
The base sauce (gravy)
One of the secrets behind getting the curry house style curry right is the base sauce.
A prepared base sauce is used in all BIR curries. It’s mild and it needs to be. The base sauce is used in every curry from the mildest
korma to the spiciest phal. My ‘go to’ recipe for the sauce is here.
Although it does take some time to make, it is the best way to get that famous vindaloo flavour and texture. The base gravy can be made a day or two ahead of time and also freezes well.
I suggest making a big batch and freezing what you don’t need. Do that and you can whip up your favourite Indian restaurant curries on a whim whenever you want.
How long with this vindaloo curry sauce last?
You can keep it in the fridge for a few days before serving. It also freezes well.
Vindaloo Flavour tip!
You will get an amazing tasting vindaloo sauce with this recipe just as it is.
There are things you can do to get even more delicious flavour into the sauce. Try adding pre-cooked tandoori meat and some of the meat juices for example.
You could also add a little stock from pre-cooked chicken or spice stock.
This is not essential but very nice.
Vindaloo is the perfect spicy curry for one to two people.
Here I added chicken and cooked potato to the curry. You can add whatever you like.
If you like this vindaloo sauce recipe, you might like to try some of these curry house favourites too…
Tikka masala sauce Recipe
Korma sauce
Pasanda sauce
Chasni sauce
Chilli garlic sauce
Ceylon sauce
Pathia sauce
Jalfrezi sauce
Keema sauce
Bhuna sauce
Methi sauce
Madras sauce
Phaal sauce
Yield: 1 - 2
Vindaloo Curry Sauce Recipe - BIR Curry House Style
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 3 green cardamom pods - bruised
- 1 star anise
- 1 Indian bay leaf
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 2 green bird's eye chillies - finely chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet chilli - finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp mixed powder
- 70ml (1/4 cup) tomato puree
- 300ml (1 1/4 cups) base sauce
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
- 1 pre-cooked potato - peeled
- 1 tbsp coriander (cilantro) - finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat and then throw in the cardamom pods, star anise and bay leaf. Allow these ingredients to infuse into the oil for about 30 seconds and then add the garlic ginger paste.
- Stir the garlic ginger paste into the spice infused oil and then add all the chopped chillies. Fry these for about 30 seconds and then add the ground spices and fry for a further 30 seconds.
- Your pan might be looking a bit dry at this point. Add the tomato puree and about half of the base sauce and bring to a simmer. Only stir if it looks like the sauce is sticking to the pan.
- At this point, you could add the main ingredient of your choice such as chicken, lamb or paneer. You could also just carry on making the sauce and add a main ingredient when you heat it up to serve.
- Add the vinegar and then the fenugreek leaves by rubbing them between your fingers. Add the pre-cooked potato and garnish with coriander (cilantro).
- Season with salt to taste.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I hope you enjoy this vindaloo curry sauce recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
