Bopca Tally's Murgh Vindaloo
Boneless chicken cubes in a very spicy tangy vindaloo sauce, served over basmati rice with a side of freshly made garlic-spinach naan. This is my best estimate of a spice level 4 on a scale of 1-5.
Special Equipment
- Spice Grinder
- Small blender
- Digital meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut up into pieces 3" or so
- 1 large sweet onion chopped (1 to 2 cups)
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Salt to taste
Vindaloo Curry Paste:
- 1 ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
- ¾ tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 10 to 12 Garlic cloves peeled
- 1 inch Fresh ginger grated
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tsp paprika (regular, not smoked)
- ¾ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp table salt
- ½ cup white distilled vinegar
Serving suggestions:
- Basmati rice
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Buttery garlic-spinach naan
Instructions
Make the Vindaloo Paste:
- Put the whole mustard seeds, peppercorns, and cumin seeds into a spice grinder. Blend it all into a fine powder.*
- Add this spice powder to a small blender with the garlic, ginger, cayenne, paprika, cloves, cinnamon, tumeric, sugar, salt, and vinegar.
- Blend it till it's smooth, then blend for another minute. We want this as fine as possible.
- Marinate the chicken in the curry paste for 6 to 8 hours (or at least 15 minutes, if you absolutely can't wait).
Cooking Time:
- If you are making rice, start it now so it's ready when the chicken is.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in an enameled Dutch Oven or similar heavy pot on medium-high heat.
- Once heated, add the onions. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes (goal is golden translucent).
- Add all the marinated chicken along with the marinade from the bowl.
- Add 1 cup of water to the bowl the chicken was marinated in (to get all the leftover marinade), and pour that water into the pot with the chicken.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, stir, and leave it uncovered. Set the vindaloo to a simmer.
- Spoon a bit of the sauce into a tiny bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and mix together using a tiny whisk (or a fork) until smooth. (The cornstarch is just a thickener and is optional).
- Simmer the vindaloo for about 15 minutes. Confirm that all the chicken has reached at least 160 F, using a digital meat thermometer.
- Serve with accompaniments of your choice.
Notes
* Spice grinder tip: Get a coffee grinder that can be dedicated to spices only. This is now your spice grinder. Guard it well, and don't mix it up with the coffee grinder unless you want some really, really weird morning surprises.
Tried this recipe?Please rate this recipe and tell us about your food adventures!