Name: Goan Chicken Vindaloo
Ingredients: 1kg (2 ¼ lbs) chicken thighs on the bone, skinned and chopped in half; 2 - 3 tbsp coconut or rapeseed (canola) oil; 1 head of garlic – cloves cut into slivers; 1 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds; 20 fresh curry leaves; 2 onions – finely chopped; 3 tomatoes – finely chopped (about 400g); 1 teaspoon chilli powder (more or less to taste); Juice of one lime or to taste; FOR THE VINDALOO MARINADE; 3 dried red chillies; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon black cardamom seeds; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 5 cloves; 1 inch cassia bark stick; 10 black peppercorns; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 4 green chillies – finely chopped; 75ml red wine vinegar (plus more if needed); 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar; 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or another two tablespoon of vinegar); 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste

Ingredients

1kg (2 ¼ lbs) chicken thighs on the bone, skinned and chopped in half
2 – 3 tbsp coconut or rapeseed (canola) oil
1 head of garlic – cloves cut into slivers
1 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
20 fresh curry leaves
2 onions – finely chopped
3 tomatoes – finely chopped (about 400g)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (more or less to taste)
Juice of one lime or to taste
FOR THE VINDALOO MARINADE
3 dried red chillies
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
5 cloves
1 inch cassia bark stick
10 black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 green chillies – finely chopped
75ml red wine vinegar (plus more if needed)
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or another two tablespoon of vinegar)
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste

Steps

Start by preparing the marinade. Place all the spices except the turmeric in a dry frying pan over medium heat and roast until they become fragrant and warm to the touch but are not yet smoking. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly and then pour the spices in a food processor with the turmeric and grind to a fine powder. You could also use a pestle and mortar but that's a lot more work.
Add the chillies, vinegar, tamarind concentrate, brown sugar, garlic and ginger and blend to a smooth vindaloo marinade paste. Put the chicken in a large bowl with the marinade and stir well to combine. Leave the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
When ready to cook, heat the oil in a saucepan, large frying pan or wok over low heat.
Add the garlic slivers and allow to cook gently for about 10 minutes. It is important not to burn the garlic so watch it carefully. Transfer the garlic with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
Using the same oil, heat your pan over medium high heat until the oil is beginning to shimmer. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, stir in the curry leaves. Fry for about 30 seconds until the curry leaves are very fragrant and then toss in the chopped onions.
Fry for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Sprinkle a little salt over the onions. This will help release moisture from them.
Add the chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, bay leaves and the chicken with its marinade to the pan and then pour in just enough water to cover.
Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. Give it all a good stir and then cover the pan to continue simmering over a medium heat for a further 8 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue simmering to reduce the sauce and thicken it some.
To serve, stir in the fried garlic. Try the curry and add salt to taste. You can also adjust other spicing at this time such as additional chilli powder. Just be sure to simmer it in the sauce for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flavour. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.