In England, the vindaloo is an ear-tinglingly hot curry, but it wasn’t always that way. It started life as vinho e alhos, a popular Portuguese dish that made its way over to Goa with Portuguese explorers in the 1500s.
Traditionally a wine and garlic stew, it was transformed into the modern-day dish using white wine vinegar and garlic, combined with a warming garam masala of pepper, cloves and cinnamon.
In this recipe, the sweet potato works really well with the spices and tomato to make a sweet, sour and pungent curry. And yes, it’s hot, but not mind-blowingly so.
Sweet potato vindaloo
Serves four as a main course
View the table- Put a tablespoon of oil into a large lidded frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add cloves, star anise, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. Stir-fry for two minutes, until the peppercorns and cloves swell and you can smell the spices, then take it off the heat.
- Tip the spices into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, and grind them up. Add the garlic, ginger and vinegar, grind some more until you have a smooth paste, then mix in the chilli powder.
- Put the remaining oil into the same pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the onions. Cook until brown and caramelised, add the spice paste, salt and sugar. Cook for a couple of minutes, add the plum tomatoes. Fill the tomato tin half full with water and tip into the pan. Put the lid on the pan and cook for five minutes, then add the sweet potatoes. Bring the curry to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with the lid again. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender. Serve with yoghurt and basmati rice.
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Weekend dosa
These crispy fermented rice and lentil pancakes are more than just pancakes, they are one of India’s most celebrated national treasures. They’ve got a lot going for them: crunchy, nicely tangy and versatile. The only downside is that they take about 48 hours to prep properly. The best way I’ve found to do this so they’re ready for Sunday lunch is to soak them on a Friday night, churn on Saturday morning, leave to ferment until Sunday morning and cook at midday. Delicious with coconut chutney and coconut potatoes.
Makes enough for four to six people
View the table- Wash the rice and dal together in cold water, then drain. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and add the fenugreek seeds. Pour in the warm water and leave to soak overnight.
- Twelve hours later, drain the rice and dal and blend in two batches. Cover with cling film and place in a cosy spot (I use the kitchen counter, or a bookshelf in my living room) for 24 hours. The next morning, whisk the batter and add the salt.
- To make the dosas, put a large non-stick frying pan over a low heat until hot. Prepare a plate for the dosas, a small pot of oil with a piece of kitchen paper and a ladle. You can test the heat of the pan by flicking a little water on it. If it fizzes and bubbles, it’s ready.
- Take the kitchen paper, dab it in the oil and wipe the surface of the pan, then pour in a sixth of the batter. Work quickly to spread the batter outwards in concentric circles, using the back of the ladle, then turn the heat up to medium. Cook for two minutes, until the batter leaves the sides of the pan. Drizzle a little oil around the outside of the dosa to loosen if need be, then flip it and cook for 1½ minutes on the other side. If the dosa is nice and crispy, place on to the plate.
- Remove the pan from the heat for a minute, turn down low and repeat. To keep the dosas warm, put them into a basket fashioned from foil or just serve as they come.
‘Fresh India’ by Meera Sodha is out now and published by Fig Tree
Photographs: David Loftus
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