Chicken Vindaloo

[Mary Jones]

Vindaloo was originally a Portugese dish, introduced to the Indian state of Goa some time during the early modern period. It can be made with any number of meats, but I'm partial to chicken or shrimp. It tends to be very spicy, but I've found, at least with this recipe, that the first day eating it isn't very spicy, but over the next few days, as it sits in the fridge, it gets spicier. Don't know why, but I do like it.

Ingredients
2 lbs. chicken thighs OR 3 chicken breasts, diced into 1" (or so) cubes
2 large potatoes, diced into 1" cubes

Onion sauce:
2 large white onions
2 tsp white vinegar
1 C crushed tomatoes

Spice paste:
2 fresh jalapeño peppers
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp rock salt

1 tbl cilantro

Procedure

Onion sauce:
Pour enough olive oil into the bottom of a pan to cover it. Slice the onions into thin slivers. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Sauté the onions, allowing them to carmalize. Start turning up the heat, browning the onions. Add the vinegar. Continue frying until brown but don't burn them. Remove onions from heat, and put them in a blender/food processor. Add the crushed tomatoes, and blend into a sauce.

Spice paste:
Dice the garlic. De-seed and dice the peppers. Blend peppers and garlic in the blender into a paste. Add turmeric, coriander, garam masala, cayanne, and cinnamon. Seperately, crush peppercorns, mustard seed, and rock salt into a coarse powder. Add to the paste.

Cooking:
Coat the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil. Add the spice paste, but do not let it burn. Add the chicken, which has been cut into 1" pieces. Cook until mostly completed. Add onion sauce, stirring. Add some water--usually about ½ cup--and turn heat to low. Add potatoes (or vegetables of your choice), and allow to simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with rice, topped with cilantro.