Goan Pork Vindaloo (No Added Oil)

• 1 kg boneless pork with its fat (shoulder or belly), cubed
• 2½ tsp salt in all (1 tsp on the meat, 1 tsp in the marinade, ½ tsp at the end)
• 16 dried Kashmiri red chillies, stems and some seeds removed
• 16 medium garlic cloves
• 1-inch piece ginger
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp black peppercorns
• 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 8 cloves
• ½–¾ cup (120–180 ml) Goan vinegar (or apple cider or palm vinegar)
• tamarind, a 1-inch ball (about 15 g), soaked in warm water and squeezed
• 4 medium onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp sugar (1 tsp for just a hint of sweetness)
• about 2¾ cups water in all (½ cup for the tamarind, ¼ cup to rinse the blender, then 1½ cups and ½ cup while cooking)

Method

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1. Cube the pork, keeping the fat on, rub it with 1 tsp salt and set aside. 0:52
2. Blend the garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, turmeric, 1 tsp salt and about ½ cup vinegar with the broken Kashmiri chillies to a smooth paste, adding more vinegar if needed. Rinse the blender with ¼ cup water and keep that liquid. 2:43
3. Coat the pork in the paste, cover and marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge (bring it back to room temperature before cooking). 3:54
4. Soak the tamarind in ½ cup warm water for 15 minutes and squeeze out the pulp. Mix the sliced onions through the marinated pork. 4:41
5. Put the pork and onions in a heavy pan with no oil, fattier pieces at the bottom. Cover and cook on medium for 10 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, then add the blender water and tamarind pulp and cook 5 minutes more. 5:45
6. Add 1½ cups water, cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, then add ½ cup more water and cook another 10–15 minutes, stirring now and then. 7:28
7. Stir in the sugar, taste for salt, sourness and heat, and cook until the pork is tender and oil floats on top, about 10 minutes more. It tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge. 8:25

Tip. Serves 6 (our estimate from 1 kg of pork). Use 1 tsp sugar for less sweetness. Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge and freezes well; serve with rice or bread.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.