A tangy South Indian Vindaloo pork curry with vinegar, only 3 simple spices, coconut milk and fall-apart tender pork. It’s an easy, absolutely flavor-packed delicious recipe.
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One DELICIOUS Pork Curry
Pork Vindaloois a tangySouth Indian currymade with vinegar, chili, and spices.Serve it with a fresh batch of my viral butter naan recipe and perhaps a batch of piping hot homemade potato samosas. This is a delicious Indian dinner everyone will swoon over.
Atypical vindaloo is screaming hot, but I tamed the flames with a recipe that is milder byreducing the chili and adding a bit of coconut milk.
My mother-in-law says to always choose bone-in meats for curries, because the bone adds so much flavour. Plus, the meat nearest to it stays meltingly tender. The easiest bone-in pork to source around here is pork chops. I just snip most of the meat away from the bone with kitchen scissors and cut it into chunks, then toss the meaty bones right in the curry to simmer, too. Lucky is the person who gets one!
Here’s how to make my pork vindaloo.
Why You’re Going To Love This Pork Vindaloo Curry
- This recipe is well-balanced andmouth-wateringly tasty.
- You only need a couple ofsimplespicesthat you likely already have tucked away in your cupboard.
- You make up afair amountwith this recipe and save some forleftovers.
- As it rests and waits to be eaten, the flavorscontinue to permeate the meat and sauce. Leftovers are so good!
Pork Vindaloo Curry Ingredients
Here are a couple of notes on the ingredients:
- Vegetable oil.Use a neutral-tasting oil for this recipe, like sunflower, avocado, or canola. Ghee is delicious to use in this recipe.
- Onions.I like to use white onions in my curries.
- White vinegar.This is what brings the brightness that I mentioned earlier to this dish.
- Grainy mustard.Works together with the vinegar to balance out the creaminess.
- Garlic cloves.A staple in most curries. Go easy on the heat when you’re cooking it into the dish at the start.
- Cayenne.The spicy element in this recipe. You can double or even triple the amount of chilli powder listed if you want to ramp up the heat.
- Ground Cumin.Don’t skip this aromatic spice; it brings so much flavor to the curry. You can use cumin seeds and bash them in a pestle and mortar. There are vindaloo curry powder mixes available but I like mixing my own.
- Turmeric.Gives a rich color and earthy taste to your sauce.
- Kosher salt.Season through the layers and taste as you go.
- Coconut milk.Untraditional but cools the whole recipe right down. Use the equivalent cups water if you don’t like coconut milk.
- Bone-in pork chops.Meat on the bone is best for curries where possible, as the bone adds a lot of flavor to the meat.
- Cilantro.Coriander leaves are a classic Indian curry garnish.
How To Make It
This is a pretty easy-to-follow recipe, and the result is soft pork in a lightly spiced, aromatic sauce.
You start off by cooking your onions until very soft. This is an important layer of sweetness and texture in the curry. Then toast the spices until they are fragrant. You add in your vinegar and mustard, and then comes the coconut milk.
Once your sauce has been put together, you’ll add your pork and let it simmer away until it’s succulent and tender.
- Cook the onions in the oil over medium heat until they are golden. This should take around 20 minutes.
- Whisktogether thevinegar, mustard, and salt in a bowl.
- Add thegarlic to the onionsand cook for a minute, add in the vinegar mixture and cook for another minute. Pour in thecoconut milk.
- Stir in the pork, cover with a lid, and simmer(not boil) on the stove top with 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the pork is tender. You can also add this to a pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Release the steam naturally.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
What To Serve It With
- Steamed basmati rice
- Rice pilaf
- Buttery naan bread
- Soft homemade chapathi
- Potatoes
- Chicken samosasas an appetizer
- A side ofmasoor dal
- A salad of chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and green chilis
Make Ahead Instructions
This pork curry recipe can bemadea few days in advanceand heated up when you’re ready to eat it.
A few other things you can do in advance:
- Weigh out the spices and set them aside in a little bowl.
- Get the onions cut up and ready to go.
Storage Instructions
Cool the curry completely before packaging it in an air-tight container.
Store the pork curry in its vindaloo sauce for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Heat your curry up slowly in a pan until it has warmed through. Add a tablespoon of water if the sauce is too thick.
Pork Vindaloo Variations
- You canswap the porkout for lamb, mutton, beef, or chicken.
- You can make aseafoodvariation of this with shrimp or fish.
- Try aveggie versionwith peppers or tofu for protein.
- Switch out thecoconut milkfor water if you prefer.
- You can usebone-out pork meatif you prefer.
- Garnish withThai basil or carrot saladinstead of coriander.
- Make a spicier version doubling up on the cayenne or adding in chillies.
- If you want to be a little more experimental, try adding some choppedfresh gingerinto the sauce.
FAQs
Does coconut milk thicken curry?
Coconut milk thickens curry slightly, in the way that heavy cream would, however it still adds liquid. If your curry is too runny, coconut milk will not make it thicker, you should instead boil it uncovered to thicken it up.
What cut of pork is good for curry?
There are lots of great cuts of pork for curry, and you can choose an inexpensive one if you like because the slow simmer breaks down tough fibers. I love bone-in pork chops because the bone provide tons of flavor and the meat next to the bone is so succulent.
Can I make vindaloo with a premade curry paste?
You most certainly can. There are plenty of premixes out there, just keep in mind that homemade vindaloo with fresh ingredients tastes superior and can be tailored to have the perfect amount of heat for your taste.
Pro Tips And Tricks
- My mother-in-law says to always choosebone-in meats for curriesbecause the bone adds so much flavor. Plus, the meat nearest to it stays meltingly tender. The easiest bone-in pork to source around here is pork chops. I just snip most of the meat away from the bone with kitchen scissors and cut it into chunks, then toss the meaty bones right in the curry to simmer.
- Begentle with theonionsandgarlic, don’t burn them or the sauce will taste bitter.
- A teaspoon of cornstarch or a bit of flour mixed with a tablespoon of water can thicken a runny sauce.
Other Curry Recipes You Won’t Want To Miss
Here is a list of other curries you can try out:
- Paneer butter masala
- Saag paneer / spinach curry
- Butter chicken
- Chicken 65
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Vindaloo Pork Curry
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Servings 6
Dinner
Indian
Keyword Vindaloo Pork Curry
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- 6 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 ½ tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp grainy mustard
- ½ tsp ground cayenne or kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk
- 2 ½ lbs bone-in pork chops or 1 1/2 lbs boneless pork, cut in 1″ pieces
- Small handful cilantro leaves for serving
Instructions
In a large saucepan, cook onions in oil over medium heat until nicely golden, about 20 minutes, reducing heat if onions start to brown before they’re soft.
Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, spices and salt in a small bowl.
Add garlic to onions and cook 1 minute, then add vinegar mixture and cook a minute more, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut milk.
At this point, you can add the pork, cover and simmer on the stove for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until pork is tender, or add the pork to a pressure cooker, stir in the sauce, and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the steam release naturally. Top with cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Use water instead of coconut milk, and double (or triple) the cayenne if you want a more fiery version like what you’d have in India.
- My Indian mother-in-law says to always choose bone-in meats for curriesbecause the bone adds so much flavour. Plus, the meat nearest to it stays meltingly tender. Snip most of the meat away from the bone with kitchen scissors and cut it into chunks, then toss the meaty bones right in the curry to simmer, too.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 34gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 958mgPotassium: 744mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Vindaloo Pork Curry
Last Updated on March 10, 2024 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD
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Paul Jenness
2 years ago
Is there not actually any curry in this dish?
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Jen
2 years ago
I’m confused. Does the pork still need to simmer for. 1.5 hours if it is cut into chunks, or only if the chops remain whole? Seems like that would overlook the small chunks.
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Brilliance
2 years ago
Whew!! I made this today and switched it to one cab coconut milk, half can of coconut cream: AH MAZING!! Thanks so much for sharing! 🔥🔥
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Shirley
2 years ago
This is the second time I made this. It is delicious. I love Vindaloo and this recipe intrigued me as the ingredients were quite different than what I had made before. I was not disappointed. I made exactly the way you have it here but I did triple the cayenne. It will be a regular in my recipe box now. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
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mike m
2 years ago
Wow! A fantastic recipe! This is the first time I have ever commented on a recipe, but I felt compelled to on this one. What a nice combination of spices and flavors. I will definitely be making this again. We like things a bit on the spicy side, so next time I would add some chili flakes or a small hot chili pepper.
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Krystal
3 years ago
I am currently making this. I used 1 1/2 cups water instead of coconut milk. Fingers crossed this doesn’t taste like mustard on a plate. I am just not a big mustard fan. I love curry and I am trying to expand my curry recipes. I will let you know what I think after dinner.
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