Indian Feast Part 5: Shrimp Vindaloo

Shrimp vindaloo is one of my favorite Indian dishes because it's super spicy. Vindaloo is usually the hottest curry dish available in most Indian restaurants and most of the time it has potatoes in it. The potatoes thicken the sauce and I think originally, they were added to the dish to add a bit of substance, since chefs couldn't be as generous with the amount of meat due to its price tag.

Ingredients [serves 2]:
1/2 lb shrimp (or chicken or lamb, if you prefer)
3 cups cubed potatoes (I used yukon gold)
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, split (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to your spicyness preference)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)
14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup boiling water
squeeze of lemon juice

Start by dicing the onions, mincing the garlic, and cubing the potatoes.

Next, mix together vinegar, dry mustard, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garam masala, and grated ginger to make a paste.

Heat up a shallow pot and add oil, onions, and jalapeno. Saute until the onions become translucent and then add in the spice paste mixture. Stir until the paste coats the onions and add in the drained diced tomatoes and stir.

Add the potatoes and cover the pot and let them simmer for 20 minutes or until they are tender and have started to absorb the color of the tomatoes. The sauce should be quite thick at this point so add in 1 cup of boiling water and then add in the shrimp and a squeeze of lemon. Toss to coat in the sauce and turn off the heat. The residual heat will cook the shrimp.

Serve with rice.

And last up, the conclusion of my Indian Feast posts: Part 6, red onion chutney.