Lamb Vindaloo

Ingredients

• 1.25 lbs lamb or goat shoulder or boneless leg of lamb
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 black peppercorns
• 6 cloves
• 2-3 inch cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp mustard seeds or ground mustard
• 20 Kashmiri dried red chilies or 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1-3 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (optional, for extra heat)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1¼ tsp salt, divided
• ¼ cup palm vinegar or malt vinegar, cane vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar
• 1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar (for paste)
• ¼ cup water
• 25 grams garlic, peeled
• 25 grams ginger, peeled and sliced
• 4 tbsp oil, preferably mustard oil
• 1 large onion, very finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 sprig fresh curry leaves (optional)
• 1-2 tsp jaggery or brown sugar (to finish)
• 1½-2 cups hot water

Instructions

1. Deseed the dried red chilies and soak them in the vinegar and ¼ cup hot water. If using red chili powder instead, skip this step.
2. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, mustard seeds, and ½ tsp salt to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
3. Add 1 tsp jaggery, ginger, garlic, soaked red chilies (or chili powder) with the vinegar to the grinder. Blend to a smooth paste, adding 1-2 tbsp more water if needed.
4. Taste the paste and adjust with more salt, vinegar, or chili powder as desired.
5. Marinate the lamb with turmeric and the vindaloo paste. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.
6. Remove the marinated lamb from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
7. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
8. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until golden brown.
9. Add the marinated lamb and sauté on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the paste becomes fragrant and leaves the sides of the pan. Cover and cook for 3 minutes on medium-low heat.
10. Add the curry leaves and sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in 1 cup boiling hot water and mix well.
11. Let the lamb vindaloo cook for 1½ hours or until tender, stirring every 15 minutes. Add more hot water in batches after 40 minutes as needed.
12. The lamb is done when fork tender. Taste and add remaining salt and 1-2 tsp jaggery or brown sugar to balance the flavors.
13. Cook uncovered to evaporate excess water until you have a thick, semi-dry sauce.
14. For best flavor, let the vindaloo rest overnight and reheat before serving. Serve over basmati rice, with naan, or Goan Puri bread.