Vindaloo oo oo

I'm making up a large batch of this vindaloo spice mix to have on hand for quick marinades. This recipe makes 1/3 cup of spices and uses about 3lbs of meat - pork, beef, chicken, lamb...I'm actually going to try it on cauliflower - a cauliflower zucchini vindaloo. Why not. 

I did not actually use the mortar & pestle to grind these spices - that would be crazy. They were just used for gratuitous food photos. I recommend a spice grinder, giving the cinnamon stick a bit of a head start.

1 cinnamon stick, approximately 4inches in length

seeds from 6 cardamom pods

4 dried chillies

1 teaspoon of peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon cumin seed

1/2 teaspoon coriander seed

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seed

1 teaspoon tumeric

The Queen of Spices. 

There are 15-20 seeds in a cardamom fruit. Used for treating indigestion - to Celiac Disease, inflammation, muscle tension, and congestion. Also to detoxify, an antioxidant. 

From the ginger family, genera Elettaria cardamomum.  

green cardamom

cinnamon

For the marinade, blend the spice mix with 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

I've sometimes added some yogurt or sour cream.

To finish the vindaloo: chop 2 onions, 10 cloves of garlic, an approximately 2 inch piece of ginger - matchsticked, 3 ripe tomatoes, and 4 green chillies.

Saute the onions, adding the garlic then other ingredients. Add the marinaded meat with marinade and 1 cup of water. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked and the sauce is thickened. 

amy's garden