Many of us hear the word vindaloo and just think HOT, HOT, HOT. But it’s actually a curry with a wonderful history. Vindaloo is popular in Goa, a region of India with strong historical Portuguese influence. The very name comes from vin for vinegar and aloo from alho, which is Portuguese for garlic. Goan Vindaloo is traditionally made with pork, but it’s equally good with lamb or beef. We opted for LAMB NECK VINDALOO.
To go with it? We show you just how easy it is to whip up your own NAAN BREAD. You could make it plain, but we made ours a garlic and cumin naan for that extra flavour punch. We’re not done yet because we also pay homage to the vinegar notes of vindaloo with a fresh little salad of CUCUMBER RIBBONS WITH PICKLED ONION. Finally to tie it all together? A sweet chilli yoghurt.
FOR THE LAMB NECK VINDALOOHeat a thick-base saucepan and add 10ml vegetable oil. Generously salt the lamb neck on both sides with Cape Herb & Spice Atlantic Sea Salt. Fry them in the hot pan until nicely brown. Remove lamb neck and set aside. Pour off most of the fat, reserving just 10ml. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions. Fry, stirring, until soft – take care not to brown the onions as they will become bitter. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute. Add the lamb neck to the pan along with any resting juices. Finally add the tomatoes, Cape Herb & Spice Vindaloo, water and red wine vinegar. Turn the heat very low and simmer with the lid on until the neck is soft – it takes 60-90 minutes depending on how thick it was cut. Taste and adjust salt as needed at the end. Prepare the rest of the meal while the lamb neck vindaloo is simmering.FOR THE GARLIC AND CUMIN NAANPlace the yeast and sugar in a bowl and pour over the lukewarm water. Stir it briefly and allow it to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the salt, stir briefly to ensure the salt is evenly distributed. Make a well and pour in the yeast mixture, the milk and 15ml of the melted butter. Stir to mix and then knead for five minutes. Place dough ball in a clean deep bowl and cover with cling film. Allow it to prove for 30-40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
While the dough proves, add the minced garlic to the remaining melted butter and blitz it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Place the cumin seeds in a clean dry non-stick pan and toast for about one minute – the cumin is sufficiently toasted as soon as you can start smelling it.
Divide the dough into six or eight even-sized pieces. Shape the dough balls into a roughly oval or rectangular shape with your hands and use a rolling pin to roll them out to just 2mm thick. Heat a non-stick pan with just 2ml vegetable and add the naan. Fry until nicely golden brown on the bottom and then flip over. (Cook’s note: Fry the naan over medium heat so that the inside of the naan cooks FOR THE SWEET CHILLI YOGHURTSpoon the yoghurt into a serving dish. Dollop on sweet chilli sauce and fold it through gently so you have a slight marbled effect.FOR THE CUCUMBER RIBBONS WITH SWEET ’N SOUR PICKLED ONIONAdd the sugar to the vinegar and stir to dissolve. Add the red onions to the vinegar and allow it to infuse for 30 minutes. Slice the cucumbers very thinly lengthwise (a mandolin is ideal for this). Arrange prettily in a serving dish, then drain and spoon over the pickled onions.