Potato Lentil vindaloo is a plant-based version of vindaloo curry with a lot less work. No need to soak and blend the chilies, I give you a quick vindaloo spice mix. Hearty lentils and potatoes are absolutely delicious in this tangy curry sauce! Gluten-free. Options for soyfree nutfree

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: dinner, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: Goan, Indian

Ingredients

For the Vindaloo Spice Mix

  • 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder (or use sweet paprika, but I would highly recommend getting some Kashmiri chili powder)
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

For the Crispy Potatoes

  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 cup peeled and cubed yellow potatoes (or other potatoes cut 3/4” cubes)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Vindaloo Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons oil (divided)
  • 1 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste (or use 5 cloves garlic, minced, and 1” ginger, minced)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup water or stock (or more, if needed)
  • 15 ounce can lentils (drained) (or 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils or cooked/ canned beans of choice)
  • non-dairy yogurt or cream, cilantro, and lemon juice (for garnish)

Method

Make the vindaloo spice mix.

  1. Add all of the spices to a small bowl, and mix really well. Set aside.

Crisp up the potatoes.

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes, and toss well to coat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of the vindaloo spice mix and salt into the potatoes, tossing well to coat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir them once in between to crisp up some of the other edges of the potatoes, as well. Remove the potatoes from the pan.

Make the vindaloo sauce.

  1. To the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil, then heat it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Mix and cook until the onion is golden, about 7 to 9 minutes, adding splashes of water in between to help the onion brown evenly and stirring every minute, as well.
  2. Once the onion is golden, reduce the heat to medium-low, mix in the other teaspoon of oil, then add in all of the remaining vindaloo spice mix, and mix well. If the pan is getting a little too dry, mix in splashes of water, which will also reduce the heat of the pan a little bit, so that the spices don't burn. Then, cook for a few seconds, and stir in the ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste, and vinegar. If your pan is too hot, then add in a splash of water. If you're using minced ginger and garlic, just add the minced ginger and garlic first, cook for a minute, then add in the tomato paste and vinegar and mix in.
  3. Mix in 1/4 cup of the water, stir really well, increase the heat back to medium, and bring to a boil, cooking until the whole mixture thickens a little bit and starts to leave the sides of the pan and you can see a sheen of oil on top. That will take anywhere from 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Add in the remaining 3/4 cups of the water and mix well. Depending on how it's saucy you want the lentils vindaloo to be, you can add in more water at this point. Bring to a boil, fold in the lentils, potatoes, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. If you like the sauce to be creamier, add in. 2-3 tablespoons non dairy yogurt and cream as well. Then mix and cover with the lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes for the flavors to meld, then switch off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, and garnish with non-dairy yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice. Serve with rice, flatbread, or naan.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.