The traditional dish Chicken Vindaloo is Portuguese influenced Curry Dish from GOA and is soaked in winewith dry spices and also garlic , a predominant ingredient apart from Wine .But the Goan version is with Palm Vinegar made from Palm Toddy This type of vinegar is strong, clear and looks like a wine.
Vindaloo or in other words Vin d` alho doesn’t come from the Hindi word Aloo, but on the contrary its wine and Garlic marinade we may say. The twist is Portuguese alho is a cognate with aloo coming from the Latin word allium which ultimately comes from the root .
Ingredients
| Chicken | 500 gms |
| Onion chopped | 1 cup |
| Tomato Puree | 2 nos |
| Green chilly | 2 nos. |
| GG chopped | 1½ tbsp |
| Tamarind Pulp | 1 tsp |
| Toddy Vinegar | 2 tbsp |
| Coriander Leaves chopped | 1 tbsp |
| Oil | 3 tbsp |
| DRY ROASTING | |
| Cinnamon | 1No. |
| Cardamom | 3 nos |
| Cloves | 4 nos |
| Dry Kashmiri red chilly | 5 nos |
| Cumin seeds | ½ tsp |
| Coriander seeds | 1 tsp |
| Pepper corn | 1 tsp |
| Mustard seeds | 1 tsp |
Method
- Wash, cleanand pat dry chicken, then marinate Chicken,with salt, a pinch of GG paste, 1 tbs of Hung curd , turmeric powder and keep covered and refrigerate.
- In a pan dry roast all ingredients mentioned till the aroma gets released.
- Transfer all the ingredients into a blender and powder well. To this, add tamarind pulp, ggchopped ,vinegar Grind to a smooth paste and keep separate.
- In the meantime Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, take out after 10 minutes, remove skin , use a blender and make a puree of it.
- Heat oil in a pan , add chopped onion, Garlic paste and sauté till the onions gain a golden brown color. Add slit green chillies.
- Add marinated chicken and sear chicken on a high flame till the sides of the chicken are lightly browned. Add salt.
- When the chicken is half cooked , add ground masala and the tomato puree.Allow chicken to cook for 15 minutes. Add water if necessary. Top it with chopped coriander leaves and close with the lid. Serve hot with Phulkas and rice.
Note :Quarter tsp of sugar may be added to the dish towards the final stage of the dish .This will neutralize the acid in the Vinegar and also reduce the spiciness to a little extent when the caramelisation happens.
Chef Nandakumar Menon or ‘Chef Nandu as he is known evolved into the Super Chef series. He was at the CASINO HOTEL in Kochi and later at the remarkable COCONUT LAGOON in Kumarakom. Both iconic Hotels and restaurants of repute for the quality and consistency of food offered at their restaurants. Coconut Lagoon where Chef Nandu headed the kitchen moulded him to cater to international clientele from all over the world coming in to experience the magic of the backwaters of Kerala and Kerala itself as a unique destination.
From his early Catering Technology days at Adayar, Chennai and training at the famed TAJ MAHAL INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Mumbai, Chef Nandu was back again at the Welcome Group’s ADAYAR PARK INN, Chennai.
Later he headed the setting up of the various F&B outlets of the ABAD PLAZA group, Kochi as its Corporate Chef.
And then with the Quilon Beach hotels, Chef Nandu created a redefined art of culinary expertise. His clientele were Doctors, Cashew businessmen and of course celebrities from the tinsel world, the cloyed connoisseurs had a different feel with his nouvelle cuisine.
He still loves to cook and share his valuable experience of the world of food with The Daily Brunch and its readers in our series on SUPER CHEFS.
Cheers!
