Chicken Vindaloo

A note on grinding the chicken vindaloo spices.Usually this chicken vindaloo spice is made into a wet paste by adding tamarind, garlic and ginger. But I’m intentionally keeping the spice blend dry so I can make a larger batch and use it for any other curries I want to make extra spicy. With the addiion of kashmiri chillie powder, I love the deep color that this spice powder gives to any meat curry. How to roast the spices for the chicken vindaloo. Add the following spices in the given order for best results. Place a small frying pan over very low fire. Add coriander seeds(1 and 1/2 tbs), cumin seeds(2 tsp),black pepper corn(1 tsp), mustard seeds(1 tsp), fenugreek seeds(1/2 tsp), cloves(3 ), cinnamon(1″-2″piece)and dry roast them for 1 minute. Then add the kashmir chillie powder(Since I couldn’t find whole dried kashmir red chillies, I substituted them with the Kashmir red chillie powder. substitute with regular chillie powder or hot paprika). Roast over low heat for 1-2 minutes while constantlly moving the ingredients. Once roasted, let the spices cool for 10-15 minutes then transfer the spices into a grinder. Grind the spice in 5 seconds bursts to make either a coarse spice powder or a fine powder. Once you have a the vindaloo spice blend done, add this to the chicken parts. Add turmeric(1/2 tsp), tamarind paste(1 tsp), vinegar(1/4 cup). If you are sensitive to spice powders or worry about staining your nails, use a disposable glove/spoon to mix the spices and rub them into the chicken parts. Marinate the chicken for 20-30 minutes for best results. Making the chicken vindaloo curry.Place a large pan or wok over low-medium fire. Pour in the oil(2-3 tbs)followed by ginger(2 tbs), garlic(2 tbs) into the pan. Cook for 2-minutes until they release their aroma. Add green chillies(2), chopped onions(1 large) and roughly chopped tomatoes(1 large). Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. While the ingredients in the pan cook, you can make the tomato puree. There are two ways to do this, blend the tomatoe(1 medium)to make a tomato puree. Or slice the tomatoes as small as you can on a chopping board and then continue to chop the tomatoes with a heavy knife or cleaver until you have a coarse tomato puree. By this time the onions and tomatoes would have cooked to a soft state, add the tomato puree to the pan. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes. Add the marinated chicken into the pan/wok, slow simmer the chicken until the chicken parts release their juice. Once the natural moisture of the chicken is released add the extra water(1/2 cup), taste and season with salt if necessary. Cover with a lid and slow cook the chicken vindaloo until it's thick.