Authentic Lamb Vindaloo Curry

The Lamb Vindaloo recipe is a classic dish of tender meat chunks cooked in fiery red vindaloo sauce made with lots of dry red chilies, vinegar, garlic, and spices. Make my delicious, easy, and the best authentic Portuguese-influenced Goan vindaloo curry that is spicy, tangy, and mildly sweet - all in one! We serve this tasty lamb vindaloo curry with steamed rice or dinner rolls for a satisfying weeknight meal.

Table of Contents

• What is vindaloo?
• Why this lamb vindaloo recipe works?
• Ingredients
• How to make lamb vindaloo?
• Expert Tips
• Frequently asked questions
• Serving Ideas
• Storing curry
• Freezing
• More Instant Pot Dinner ideas for you :
• 📖 Recipe

I also love to make this vindaloo recipe with beef, and shrimp, but fish, lamb and chicken is my favorite choice. Vegetarian version includes paneer, tofu, chickpeas, kidney beans, and mixed vegetables.

The curry is not only popular in India but worldwide for its characteristic spiciness, and flavor. Even though the dish is known for its spiciness, you can still enjoy all the flavors. It's a must-try dish for anyone who love to eat spicy food.

NOTE: Keep in mind, the authentic recipe do not use tomatoes or its paste either. Hence, I do not prefer to add it in our recipe.

*For more delicious dinner, try these amazing recipes:

• Mutton Yakhni Pulao
• Beef Stir Fry
• Baked Meatballs
• Bombay Mutton Biryani
• Dal Gosht (Mutton with lentils)
• Bhuna Gosht

Unlike the authentic version, I see that in most vindaloo recipes, many people add potatoes because of the name 'vind-aloo'. I don't opt to add potato chunks, but you can add few of them if you like, that's absolutely fine!

My recipe of vindaloo is easily adaptable and can be scaled to make for a large crowd. 6-quart instant pot or 5 litres traditional pressure cooker is good for 2.2 lbs meat.

The recipe is super simple, easy, and you can make this lamb vindaloo in a pot or traditional pressure cooker on stovetop or in an instant pot. I have shared the detailed step below for both traditional and instant pot pressure cooker.

Ingredients

For vindaloo paste

I usually make this vindaloo paste in bulk and store, it is thousand times better than the store bought packs or bottles!

Chilies: You will need good amount of dried red chillies with medium to less heat. I prefer to use Kashmiri red chilies for this recipe, because of its less heat profile (....that's how kids actually like!) and gives vibrant color to the dish.

At times, I also prefer adding spicy variety chili along with Kashmiri chilies when I'm making this dish only for me and my husband 🙂 . But that's the rare case, because my kids just love vindaloo a lot, so less heat variety chili is a choice all the time.

Fresh Garlic: This is the another key ingredient of this recipe.

Fresh Ginger: Roughly chopped.

Vinegar: Ideally coconut palm vinegar (toddy vinegar) is used to make the dish, but, malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar works vey well, I use either of them.

Other ingredients: Turmeric powder along with the whole spices like cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds are used. I use a little bit of sugar for light sweetness, you can use jaggery or coconut sugar instead.

Note: You can add teaspoon of mustard seeds if you like. I do not add it in this recipe, I like the flavor of mustard seeds in shrimp or chicken vindaloo.

Lamb (or Goat Meat): Use a good quality bone-in meat cut into medium sized pieces for best tasting curry. Bone adds lot of fine flavor to the curry.

Curry Leaves: This is totally optional, but adding gives fine coastal Goan kick to the dish. Some people like to add it and some don't. Try to add it and see how beautifully curry leaves infuses the flavor into the dish.

How to make lamb vindaloo?

The recipe making involves three steps, but, this should not daunt you as they are absolutely easy to follow.

1- Make Vindaloo Paste.

2- Marinate Lamb or Goat meat.

3- Make the curry.

So let's get started, here is how to make the authentic lamb vindaloo at home.

Making vindaloo paste

2. Blend to a smooth paste.

Marinating the meat

3. Then, in a large bowl add 2.2 lbs bone-in mutton pieces along with the blended vindaloo paste, 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste), and 2 teaspoons sugar.

Note: if you plan to cook vindaloo in a pot on stove top, you may add meat tenderizer (quantity as per mentioned on the pack), if you like.

4. Combine well, cover and let it marinate overnight in the fridge. However, if there is a time crunch, then marinate atleast for 2 hours. Keep in mind, longer you marinate the meat, more tender and delicious the lamb will be.

Making lamb vindaloo

5. To start with, place the steel insert switch on the IP and press 'Sauté'. Once the screens displays 'Hot', heat 5 tablespoons vegetable oil. Then, add 1½ cups chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until soft and pink.

6. Add the marinated lamb and sauté for good 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.

7. If anything is stuck at the bottom add couple of tablespoons of water to deglaze.

8. Add ¾ to 1 cup water depending upon the consistency you need. Throw in 1 sprig curry leaves and stir.

9. Cover the lid and seal the pot with valve in sealing position. Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 20 minutes on 'High'. Once the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then, do the quick release.

10. Open the pot, check for the salt and add more if needed, stir. If you want thicker curry, then switch on the 'sauté' and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it reaches desired consistency.

11. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Bright fiery mutton vindaloo is ready to serve. Dish out, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker

After marination when the mutton is ready to cook, heat the 5 tablespoons oil in a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker or a heavy bottom pan. Then, add 1½ cups chopped onions, fry until soft and pink.

Now, add the marinated mutton and sauté it on high heat for 8 to 10 mins.  Keep stirring it in between.

Once the mutton is sautéed well, add 1-2 cups of water and 1 sprig curry leaves. Mix well. Check for the seasoning and salt and adjust it as per the requirement. 

Pressure cook for 3 whistles on medium high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes or until meat is done. Let the pressure release naturally.

Once cooked, dish out and garnish with green coriander and serve hot with steamed rice.

Note: If using a pan, then allow it to simmer and will take around 1 to around 1 to 1 and half hour. You can adjust the consistency as you like.

Slow Cooker Recipe

You can make this amazing lamb Vindaloo in slow cooker or crockpot. Once the marination process is over. Heat oil in frying pan. Add chopped onions and sauté until soft.

Then, add the marinated lamb along with sautéed onions into the slow cooker pot and give it good mix. Add ¾ to 1 cup of water and curry leaves.

Cover the lid and cook it on low for 6-7 hours or until tender. Dish out, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Expert Tips

• Feel free to add spicy variety chilies, if you like. Or any variety that gives nice color and flavor. So, choose it according to spice heat you prefer. Further, to get only good bright fiery red color but no heat, you can simply discard the seeds and use.
• Marination is the key. I insist, you marinate the meat overnight to soak up all the delicious traditional Goan flavor before cooking. If, in case you have crunch of time, then allow the meat to marinate for at least 2 hours.
• Follow the steps and enjoy this typical Goan home like vindaloo recipe at your table.

Frequently asked questions

Serving Ideas

Serve this tasty lamb vindaloo with steamed rice, jeera rice or with pav (bun), crusty bread, warm naan bread for dinner along with some salads and see the magic. In Goa, people like to serve it with traditional Poee bread.

The curry also tastes great with appam, plain dosa and even with neer dosa.

Personally, I don't like to eat this curry with phulkas, or chapathi. But, you can eat it with chapathi if you like, it tastes great with lachha parathas.

Storing curry

Refrigerating the Curry : The Curry taste better the next day so do yourself a favour and make some extra and store. It stays very well upto 5 days in refrigerator. Transfer the curry in clean air tight container and keep it in the fridge.

Freezing the curry : Once the curry cools completely, you can transfer it to a clean airtight freezer safe box and freeze. It stays well upto 4 months.

You can freeze it as as meal prep. So, add just the curry or along with portion of rice in meal prep container and freeze.

Freezing

Vindaloo Paste : The paste freeze very well. You can make it in bulk and freeze in portions. It stays well in freezer up to a year. Increase the measure in folds and proceed.

The below measure for exact 2.2 lbs lamb meat, so go ahead accordingly, make as much you want and then freeze.

Freezing the Marinated Meat : This is the option that I prefer - great for meal prep. I freeze the marinated meat in portions up to 4 months. Say for around 1 to 1.5 lbs portion which would be enough for to 4-6 people.

So when you want to cook, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and cook in a traditional pressure cooker or a dutch pot on stove top.

You don't need to thaw if you want to cook it in the Instant pot, just add extra 5 minutes (that would be 25 minutes) to the cooking time.

More Instant Pot Dinner ideas for you :

If you made my recipe for vindaloo with mutton, please let me know how it turned out for you! I'd love to hear through your comments and ratings below.

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📖 Recipe