“Vindaloo” is derived from the Portuguese words “Vinha De Alhos” i.e. from the 2 main ingredients in it, which were “Vinho”, meaning wine or wine vinegar, and “Alhos”, meaning garlic. It was originally a vinegar and garlic based watery stew made with pork or meat in Portugal but after the Portuguese introduced it to India, it was completely revamped with the addition of spices and chillies.   It requires quite a lot of oil in its preparation and tastes wonderful if eaten a day or two after it is cooked since the vinegar and other flavours soak into the dish. The pungency of the dish can be reduced or increased according to taste by adding or lessening the chilli powder. However, care should be taken not to lose the vinegar flavour, because Vindaloo get its special taste only because of the vinegar in it. This dish gets better the longer it is kept. Cook this dish at least 24 hours before serving, then heat and serve.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg pork, cut into large chunks
• 4 tbsp oil
• 2 green chillies, slit from top to tail
• 4 medium onions, finely sliced
• 4 tbsp vinegar

And for the spice paste:

• 16-18 Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1” cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 10-14 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cm ginger, minced
• 5 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp salt

And then:

1. For the spice paste, grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste, then marinate the pork in the spice paste for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, then saute the onions till golden.
3. Add the marinated pork and saute on high heat for around 7 minutes. Add 2 cups hot water; simmer till pork is tender.
4. Add the green chilies, vinegar, and more salt if necessary. Simmer till the gravy is thick.