Authentic Lamb Vindaloo Curry

Lamb Vindaloo recipe is a classic dish of tender meat chunks cooked in fiery red vindaloo sauce made with lots of dry red chillies, vinegar, garlic and spices. It's delicious, easy and an authentic Portuguese influenced Goan curry that is spicy, tangy and mildly sweet - all in one! Serve this tasty lamb vindaloo curry with steamed rice or dinner rolls for a satisfying weeknight meal.

Jump to:

• About this Lamb Vindaloo Recipe
• Little about vindaloo origin
• Ingredients you will need
• How to make lamb vindaloo?
• Expert Tips
• Frequently asked questions
• Serving Ideas
• Storing curry
• Freezing
• More Instant Pot Dinner ideas for you :
• 📖 Recipe

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.

This 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.

You will find that in many vindaloo recipes, people prefer to add potatoes. This is because of the belief that word Vindaloo has "aloo" into it. Aloo = Potatoes!

The term is actually misunderstood here and the authentic vindaloo curry has no potatoes in it. However, only if you wish, you can add potato chunks, that's absolutely fine!

Even though the dish is known for its spiciness, you can still enjoy all the flavors. Its a must-try dish for anyone who love to eat spicy food.

The other vindaloo variation also includes with beef, shrimps, and fish. The Anglo-Indian version is to marinate the meat in vinegar, chilies, ginger, garlic and sugar, followed by spices. 

Vindaloo has gained popularity not only in India but around the world due to its characteristic spiciness, and flavor. It is one of the popular takeaway choice for many people.

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

Ingredients you will need

Lamb (or Goat Meat): You will need good quality bone-in meat here cut into medium sized pieces. Bone adds lot of fine flavor to the curry.

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

For vindaloo paste

You can 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.

Sometimes, 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 kids just love vindaloo like nothing, so less heat variety chili is a choice all the time.

Garlic: This is the another key element of this recipe.

Ginger: You will need roughly chopped fresh ginger.

Vinegar: Ideally palm vinegar goes into the dish, but, malt vinegar or even cider vinegar works great.

Other ingredients: You will need corianders seeds and turmeric powder. The whole spices that goes in are Cloves, Cinnamon, Green Cardamom, Black Peppercorns and Cumin Seeds.

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.

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

1. To begin with, add all the ingredients i.e. red chilies, garlic ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamom, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp, cider vinegar (or malt vinegar) and water. into the blender jar or food processor.

2. Blend to a smooth paste.

Marinating the meat

3. Then, add the blended paste to mutton along with the salt, 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 oil. Then, add 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 of water depending upon the consistency you need. Throw in few 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

Once the mutton is ready to cook, heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker or a heavy bottom pan. Then, add chopped onions and fry until translucent.

Then, 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 curry leaves. Mix well. Check for the seasoning and salt and adjust it as per the requirement. 

Pressure cook until the meat is done 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 cook 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.

It 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 2.2lbs lamb meat, so go ahead accordingly, make as much you want and then freeze.

Freezing the Marinated Meat : This is the option that I usually prefer. 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 and cook in slow cooker, or pressure cooker on stove top.

Cooking frozen meat in Instant pot : First, sauté the onions until soft. Then, add water, curry leaves, frozen marinated meat and cook on high for 25 minutes.

Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then do the quick release. If there is much sauce left, then press sauté mode and simmer for few minutes until it reaches desired consistency.

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