This was the very first stew I cooked for my family after returning home from culinary school. I wanted to show off a new dish I had mastered, one that was totally unfamiliar to my parents. The introduction was a hit, and this remains a family favorite. Vindaloo hails from the state of Goa and has a reputation for scorching heat, though really it’s the tang of the vinegar and earthy sweet flavors of the cloves and cinnamon that are the stars.
- Step 1: Pat pork dry with a paper towel and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Step 2: In a food processor, combine chiles, onions, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chili powder, peppercorns, turmeric, 1/4 cup vinegar, and ginger-garlic paste. Process to a smooth paste.
- Step 3: Add the paste and 1 1/2 tsp salt to the bowl of pork and stir to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Step 4: Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and curry leaves and sauté for 2 minutes. Add pork with its marinade and stir for 10 minutes, until meat has browned. Reduce heat to low, then add tomatoes. Cover and cook for another 45 minutes, or until meat is tender. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar, the remaining 1 Tbsp salt (or to taste), garam masala, and cilantro.
- Step 5: Serve with jeera rice and a side of charred corn raita if you wish.
Make It Quick : The pressure cooker is an essential piece of kitchen equipment in every Indian household and can save you significant prep and cook time. Once the pork has marinated, proceed using a pressure cooker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for suggested cooking time.
Yield: serves 6
GF, DF
- 2 lbs pork shoulder or butt, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 5 dried red chiles, snapped in half
- 2 onions, chopped
- 15 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp black mustard seeds
- 1 Tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ cup white wine vinegar (divided)
- 3 Tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 1 ½ Tbsp salt (divided)
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 6–8 Indian or small shallots, chopped
- 20 curry leaves
- 6 large tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
To serve
- Jeera Rice
- Charred Corn Raita
Joe Thottungal is a Canadian chef and the owner of the restaurants Coconut Lagoon and Thali Coconut Lagoon in Ottawa.
For five years he worked in hotel kitchens in Toronto and Windsor and at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa, where he earned his Certified Chef de Cuisine (CCC) designation. In 2008, Joe was named Ottawa Chef of the Year by the Canadian Culinary Federation. In 2016, he won top prize at Ottawa’s Gold Medal Plates competition, followed by a silver medal at the 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships. Joe lives in Ottawa with his wife and three children. His new cookbook, My Thali: A Simple Indian Kitchen with co-author Anne DesBrisay, won a 2024 Taste Canada Gold Award in the Regional and Cultural Cookbooks category.
Excerpted from My Thali: A Simple Indian Kitchen by Joe Thottungal with Anne DesBrisay. Photography by Christian Lalonde. Copyright © 2023 by Thali Restaurant. Excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Anne DesBrisay is an award-winning food writer, the author of Ottawa Cooks and three editions of Capital Dining, and the co-author of Atelier by Marc Lepine and My Thali by Joe Thottungal.
She was the restaurant critic for the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Magazine for twenty-five years, is a senior editor for Taste & Travel magazine and a judge for the Canadian Culinary Championships. She lives in Ottawa.
These featured authors and recipes are presented as part of a collaboration between the Museum and Taste Canada. A project meant to celebrate the vibrant culinary scene in Canada and introduce our upcoming exhibition eat make share: a taste of immigration. This national traveling exhibition will invite you to take a deeper dive into food and immigration. Opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia May 2025.
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