Goan vindaloo paste
Vegetarian
विंदालू मसालो · vindālū masālo
Goa's sharp red vinegar masala: Kashmiri chillies soaked in palm or cider vinegar and ground with garlic, ginger, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric and a little sugar into a thick, glossy paste for pork vindaloo.
Goan vindaloo paste is a Goan condiment from India, ready in about 43 minutes and made with dried whole chillies, apple cider vinegar and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 3 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 43 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 63
Method
Step 1
Put the chillies in a bowl, pour over the vinegar and leave to soak for 30 minutes until soft and pliable.
- 30 min
Step 2
Meanwhile warm the cumin, peppercorns (opens in a new tab), cinnamon and cloves (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan over low heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Cool for a few minutes and grind to a powder.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels Step 3
Blend the chillies with their vinegar, the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, ground spices, turmeric (opens in a new tab), jaggery and salt to a very smooth, thick paste. Use only the soaking vinegar — no water — so the paste keeps; scrape down often.
If the blender stalls, add a spoonful more vinegar rather than water.
Step 4
Spoon into a clean jar, smooth the top and cover with a thin film of oil or cling film before closing.
About this dish
- Origin
- Goa, India · Well documentedDescends from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (meat in wine and garlic), adapted in Goa with palm vinegar and chillies. Proportions are a typical Goan Catholic home ratio.Also popular in United Kingdom, PortugalMore food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
- Cooking method
- Blended, Toasted
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), sour, garlicky
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Dried whole chillies · Apple cider vinegar · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Cumin seeds · Black peppercorns
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Wet grinding · Dry grinding · Emulsification
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
63 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 58 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 11%
- Carbohydrate 74%
- Fat 15%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 63 kcal | 110 kcal |
| Protein | 1.9 g | 3.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.2 g | 21.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 9.5 g | 16.5 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 1.9 g | 3.4 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g | 4.8 g |
| Fat | 1.1 g | 1.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g | 0.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 593 mg | 1031 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.5 g | 2.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 295 mg
- Calcium
- 57 mg
- Iron
- 2.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 23 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 65 µg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 6 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Use the whole batch for about 900 g pork shoulder; marinate at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- Vindaloo improves on the second day, and so does the paste after a night in the fridge.
Common mistakes
- Adding potatoes: 'aloo' in vindaloo comes from Portuguese alhos (garlic), not potato.
- Thinning the paste with water, which dulls the sharpness and shortens its life.
Serve with
- Pork vindaloo with Goan poi or rice.
- Duck, beef or prawn vindaloo; a spoonful in a pork sausage mix.
Food safety
- Use a clean, dry spoon every time and keep the paste covered and chilled.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 2 weeks (the vinegar preserves it), or freeze in portions for 3 months.
Variations
- Recheado masala: A similar Goan chilli-vinegar paste with tamarind and onion, stuffed into mackerel and pomfret.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
About this masala
- Type
- Wet masala
- Texture
- Smooth paste
- One batch makes
- about 230 g
- Keeps
- about 2 weeks
- Store
- Covered, in the fridge
- Recipe
- Traditional
Goa. Makes Vindaloo paste, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas
Used in
Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.
- Pork vindalooMade fresh in the recipe (chillies soaked in vinegar and blended with the spices in step 1) · 200 g for 5 servingsMake enough
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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