Spicy Goat Vindaloo

Made with MANY dried chili peppers, this spicy goat vindaloo is a great dish for curry lovers who like it extra hot and full of rich, tangy flavor! 

The story behind vindaloo starts in the 15th century with the Portuguese who were adventurous seafaring explorers. They were, in fact, the first to find a direct all-sea route from Europe to India, landing in 1498. In all likelihood, Vasco de Gama, who was leading that expedition for the Kingdom of Portugal, had stocked his ships with wooden barrels packed with pork marinated in wine vinegar and garlic. This carne de vinho e alhos or vinha d'alhos concoction was used by sailors to preserve meat on long voyages.

When the Portuguese explorers led by Afonso de Albuquerque captured the port town of "Gove" (or Goyen) from the Bijapur Sultanate and adapted the local name into "Goa" in the early 16th century, they brought the recipe with them. 

Goans substituted local vinegars for marinating, since wine vinegar wasn’t available, and added spices they loved liked black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and new-world red chili peppers (also introduced to them by the Portuguese!) The name vindaloo evolved naturally from a phonetic corruption of vinho (wine) and alho (garlic) and the dish turned into vindaloo as we know it. 

Spicy Goat Vindaloo

This recipe works well with any red meat, preferably on the bone for more flavor. Think beef short ribs or oxtail, lamb shoulder chops or shanks. I am fortunate enough to know a good halal butcher that carries both goat and lamb, cut in chunks but on the bone. This is adapted from myriad recipes I found online and Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery.

Ingredients

1.76 lbs or 800g bone-in goat meat, or sub beef or lamb, as per note above

For the vindaloo paste:

18-20 dried red chili peppers – about 8g (You can deseed the chili peppers, if you’d like to reduce the spiciness of the dish. I don't but we like things spicy!)

¼ cup or 60ml palm vinegar (or wine vinegar, cane vinegar, apple vinegar or rice vinegar)

¼ cup or 60ml boiling water (for soaking the peppers)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

10 black peppercorns

6 cloves

3 in or 7.6cm piece cinnamon

½ to ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds

10 medium cloves garlic, about 1 oz or 28g, peeled

1 3 in or 7.6cm piece ginger, about 1 oz or 28g after peeling, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon jaggery or brown sugar

¼ teaspoon turmeric

To cook the vindaloo: 

4 tablespoons mustard oil or sub another oil

1 medium onion

1 sprig curry leaves, optional, plus extra for garnish

1 ½ to 2 cups or 360-480ml hot water (or as needed)

Fine sea salt 

1 to 2 teaspoons jaggery or brown sugar

Method

Cut the meat into a little larger than bite-sized pieces. A lot of the size will depend on the bones and what tools you own. I bought it cut up but then I used my cleaver to break some of the longer bones even smaller.

Soak the chili peppers in a small bowl by pouring in the boiling water, then the vinegar and set aside. 

Grind the coriander, cumin, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mustard and salt to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. I have a coffee bean grinder that I reserve solely for this purpose. 

Transfer your soaked chili peppers to a blender or small food processor. Add in the garlic, ginger and jaggery/brown sugar, along with the freshly ground spices (not the turmeric - it will stain your processor bowl) and process to a smooth paste. 

Add the marinade, along with the turmeric, to your goat and mix well to coat.

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least for 4 hours.

When you are ready to cook the goat vindaloo, take the marinated meat out of the refrigerator. 

Chop 1 medium onion very finely or process it in your food processor till finely chopped. We don’t want big chunks of onion in the vindaloo sauce. 

Add three tablespoons of the mustard oil to a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium. Fry the meat chunks in batches until browned on all sides. Do not crowd the pan. 

Remove them to a plate when done. 

When all of the meat is browned, add the onion to the pot with the last tablespoon of oil and sauté until golden, using the cooking onion to get any nice sticky bits off the bottom. 

Add in the browned meat and stir well. 

Cook for a few minutes then add the curry leaves and sauté for a couple more minutes. 

Pour in about 1 cup or 240ml of hot water and mix well.

Cover and cook on a medium-low heat until the meat is fork-tender, stirring occasionally to make sure it’s not sticking or burning at the bottom. If it’s tending to catch, you can turn it down to simmer. 

Add more hot water as you cook, as needed. Depending on the toughness/tenderness of your meat, this could take as little as an hour and as much as two. We like our vindaloos saucy so I make sure not to let it dry out! 

To finish the dish, add some fine sea salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons jaggery or brown sugar, to taste.

Like any long-cooked stew, this spicy goat vindaloo tastes even better the next day! 

Serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 22nd edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter V. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the V recipes below:

• Hummus from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Kale Macaroni & Cheese with Balsamic Vinegar from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Lemon Velvet Cream Pie from A Messy Kitchen
• Spicy Goat Vindaloo from Food Lust People Love
• Vanilla Cookies with Fudge Filling from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Vanilla-Flecked Black Cod en Papillote from Culinary Cam
• Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes from Blogghetti
• Varan from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Vegan Pad Thai from Sizzling Tastbuds 
• Viennese Whirls from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Vrat Ki Aloo Dhaniya Sabzi from Sneha’s Recipe

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup 

K. Easy Chicken Kapama 

L. Easy Lamb Shoulder Roast 

M. Miso Chocolate Cookies 

N. Duck Egg Narjissiya 

O. Marinated Apéro Olives

P. Bacon and Pork Patties 

Q. Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers 

R. Roasted Stuffed Chicken Parcels 

S. Scallop Roe Bottarga 

T. Garlic Lemon Tuna Steaks - Sous Vide 

U. Ugali - Savory Maize Meal Porridge 

V. Spicy Goat Vindaloo - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

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Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes

Also known as dangela, these Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes are made with dhokla flour: a mix of rice, chickpeas, pigeon peas and lentils. The fermented yogurt batter is traditionally cooked on a tawa or griddle.

I first read about these wonderful savory pancakes on my friend Mayuri’s blog, Mayuri’s Jikoni. I had never heard of dhokla flour but I am often looking for ways to up our protein intake and a flour containing legumes sounded like an easy, tasty way of doing that. 

Fortunately, my favorite Indian market in Houston, Subhlaxmi Grocers, carries it! There are a lot of recipes online that start from scratch, grinding the various ingredients to make the flour first so, if you are so inclined, you can certainly make it yourself. Mayuri says the ratio to use is 2 parts rice, 1 part split chickpea (chana dal) and 1/4 part urad dal (split black gram aka white lentils.)

Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes

The batter requires time to ferment so start this recipe in the morning to make the pancakes in the afternoon or evening. Or start in the evening and leave it to ferment overnight. The weight of the vegetables given below is what I used. You can add more or less, according to your taste. You can find the original recipe with Mayuri’s notes here. If you can't find ajwain seeds, Google offers this advice: Ajwain seeds have a distinctive flavor that is similar to thyme and cumin. When a substitute is needed, thyme, caraway seeds, or a combination of cumin and oregano can be used. 

Ingredients  

For fermenting the batter:

1 cup or 220g dhokla flour

1/4 cup or 60ml warm water

1/4 cup or 61g plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

For adding to the fermented batter:

1 medium (about 5 0z or 142g) zucchini

1 medium (about 2 1/2 oz or 71g) carrot

2 good handfuls (about 1 2/3 oz or 47g) fresh baby leaf spinach

1/4 medium onion

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon ajwain seeds

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1 small knob ginger, grated on a microplane

2 small green chili peppers, finely minced

For the tarka, to further season the batter:

1 tablespoon oil

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

generous pinch asafetida

1- 2 tablespoons water, for rinsing the tarka pan

For cooking the savory pancakes aka dangela:

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Canola or other light oil

3-4 teaspoons sesame seeds for topping

Method

Measure the flour into a large bowl that will fit the rest of your batter ingredients later. Add the warm water, yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds to the flour.

Mix well. Cover the bowl and put it in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight.

If the weather is warm, the bowl can be kept on the kitchen countertop. If the weather is cold, put the bowl in your oven (with a pilot light, if it’s gas) or turn just the light bulb on. 

During the fermentation time, finely grate your zucchini and carrot. Leave both to drain on paper towels to get rid of some of the excess liquid. 

Pinch the stems off of the spinach leaves and discard.

 

Chop the leaves.

Then mince the onion.

When the fermentation time is up, add grated carrot, grated zucchini, chopped onion and spinach to the batter. Mix thoroughly.

Add the salt, sugar, turmeric powder, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Mix again to combine.

Grate the ginger and mince the green chili peppers. 

Add them to the batter. Rub the ajwain between your palms and add it to the batter. Mix the batter well.

If it appears a bit dry then add normal tap water, little at a time. I found that the more I stirred, the wetter it got, no doubt courtesy of the chopped spinach, so I didn't add any water. You want a batter thick enough to be spooned into a pan but one that will spread out a little of its own accord, perhaps with a little help from your spoon.

Finally, we’ll make the tarka to finish seasoning the batter by lightly frying the tarka ingredients in a little oil. Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan over low to medium heat. Add the fenugreek seeds. When they begin to sizzle add the mustard and cumin seeds.

Add the pinch of asafetida. 

Give the tarka a quick stir then immediately pour it into the batter.

Add about 2 tablespoons of water to the hot pan. Give it a swirl and add the water to the batter. Stir well.

I almost missed this step! When you are ready to make the dangela, add the baking powder to the batter and give it another good stir. Now you are ready to cook! 

This will make four nice thick pancakes so I eyeballed the batter in the bowl and scored the top in an effort to make them come out relatively even. 

Wipe out your tarka frying pan then heat it over medium heat.

Drizzle in some oil. Add about one-quarter of the batter to your pan and give it a little shake and use your spoon to spread it out into an even circle. 

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds over the top of the batter.

Drizzle a little more oil around the pancake.

Leave it to cook for about 3-4 minutes over low heat or until it seems set enough to turn.

Carefully turn it over with a big spatula.

Drizzle a little more oil around the dangela and cook until it is golden on the other side. Put it in a low oven in foil to keep warm while you cook the other three. 

Repeat the process until you have four savory pancakes to enjoy. My husband and I ate the first two as snacks with mint chutney. 

Then the next morning, we enjoyed the last two, warmed, with a fried egg each on top. Lovely snack and lovely breakfast. Highly recommend either way! 

It’s already the second Tuesday of the month – how is it June?! – so that means it’s time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes for this month’s theme: Indian breads. Many thanks to our host, Renu from Cook with Renu. Check out the links below. 

• Butter Naan from Passion Kneaded
• Cheese and Garlic Naan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Gulachi Sanjyachya Polya with Whole Wheat Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• "Instant" Appam from A Messy Kitchen
• Khamiri Roti from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Litti Chokha from Cook with Renu
• Magical Avocado Paratha from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Easy Lamb Curry

This easy lamb curry has a rich gravy and is full of flavor. Using a store-bought curry paste instead of a long list of spices makes it so easy! 

My spice cupboard is full of all the spices I need to cook a full blown, made from scratch curry but sometimes I’m just too lazy to toast and grind them. That’s when a store-bought curry paste comes in handy. 

And in that same spirit of laziness, this post doesn’t have my typical process photos, just one of the well-seared lamb and onions! But truly, I don’t think they are necessary. This really lives up to its name, easy lamb curry.

Easy Lamb Curry

I am a fan of stock cubes so if you don’t have chicken broth or lamb stock, by all means use a cube here to make some. Depending on the saltiness of your broth or stock, you may not need any salt added at the end. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 lb or 450g cubed boneless lamb

¼ cup or 60g hot or mild Indian curry paste (such as Patak's)

1 cup or 240ml chicken broth or lamb stock

1 can (14.5 oz or 411g) chopped tomatoes and juice

6 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup or 120g frozen peas, thawed 235g/2

Fine sea salt, to taste

To serve: cooked rice

Optional: chutney (homemade or store-bought)

To garnish: cilantro leaves

Method

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it is translucent. Remove from the pan.

Add the lamb and fry till seared on all sides. Transfer to the plate and mix with the onions.

Add curry paste to the pan and stir for one minute.

Add the broth/stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil. 

Return the lamb and onion to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. 

Add cubed potatoes and simmer, covered, until the lamb and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Stir in the thawed peas and cook until heated through, about five minutes. Taste for salt and add some if necessary. 

Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with cooked rice and chutney on the side for those who would like a dollop.

Enjoy!

It's Sunday FunDay and I am hosting! I chose lamb as our theme/ingredient since it's spring. Check out the links below.

• Cheesy Mutton Curry from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Lamb Curry from Food Lust People Love
• Greek Lamb Meatballs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Rosemary Lamb Skewers from Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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