One of the reasons I am so fond of this curry is because it reminds me of a beef dish my late father used to make. It was made with blade beef, which was prepared the night before, lightly salted but generously seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and slow cooked, not a single minute rushed. Such care was always taken when he cooked beef, to ensure that the meat was tender and would literally just fall off the bone. But no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to recreate it the way he did! However, I drew on his adoration and love of beef with this recipe instead and my heritage as a meat-loving South African!

I travelled to India and visited Mumbai and Delhi, and never got to see Goa. Goa which is a state on the southwestern coast of India, situated within a region known as the Konkan, which is geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is surrounded by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast. Like many Goan dishes, this one originated in Portugal and was adapted later to accommodate the local Indian palate. The traditional Portuguese ‘vinha d’alhos’ was made with pork braised in garlic and wine. Later, Goans substituted the pork and wine with beef (or lamb), vinegar and lots of chilli and aromatics to create vindaloo as we know it today. I feel compelled to mention here that when I sit down to eat with my friends from Goa, they don't even break a sweat when they eat anything spicy - and mean really spicy!. This recipe contains two of the ingredients Goans, just like South Africans, adore: meat and heat!  

Cariema Isaacs' Goan Beef Vindaloo Recipe

Serves 4 – 6

FOR THE SPICE BLEND

1 tsp (5 ml) coriander seeds

1 tsp (5 ml) cumin seeds

1 Tbsp (7.5 ml) black peppercorns

1 whole clove

1 cinnamon stick

2 dried Kashmiri chillies

2 black cardamom pods (optional)

FOR THE MARINADE

2 shallots or 1 small onion, halved

1 thumb-size piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) chilli powder (reduce the chilli powder for a milder curry)

1 tsp (2.5 ml) turmeric

1 Tbsp (15 ml) canola oil

1 Tbsp (15 ml) tamarind paste

1 Tbsp (15 ml) white or brown vinegar

11 Tbsp (22.5 ml) soft dark brown sugar

1 tsp (2.5 ml) salt

FOR THE CURRY

750 g beef shin, bone in, cut into 3 cm-thick medallions, or rib-eye steak, cut into bite-size cubes

2 Tbsp (30 ml) canola oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 medium-size ripe tomatoes, skinned and grated

Salt to taste

1 green chilli, sliced lengthwise (optional)

1 C (125 ml) water

 PREPARING THE SPICE BLEND

1. Heat a pan on medium heat and lightly toast all the whole spices, dried chillies and cardamom (if using).
2. Toast for a minute or until the spices start emitting their fragrant aromas, and then remove from the heat.
3. Place the spices into a grinder and blend to a fine powder. Set aside.

PREPARING THE MARINADE AND MEAT

1. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and set it aside in a bowl.
2. Place all the marinade ingredients into a food processor and blitz until it forms a smooth paste.
3. Add the paste and spice blend to the meat and gently massage it into the meat.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

PREPARING THE CURRY

1. Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan on medium to high heat.
2. Add the onion and adjust the heat to medium. Fry the onion for 5 minutes or until golden.
3. Increase the heat to high, add the meat and the marinade and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Adjust the heat to medium and stir in the tomatoes, salt, chilli (if using) and water. Cook, covered, for 45 minutes or until the meat is tender.
5. Add a dash of water if you find the curry is too dry.
6. Serve hot with fluffy basmati rice and the cooling notes of the Unwooded Chardonnay from the Leopard's Leap Classic range.

TIP: Vindaloo is known to be one of the hottest curries in the world and much as I thrive on hot and spicy curries, even I had to adjust the heat from the original recipe! This curry is also one of those curries that calls for good quality spices and ingredients, so take the time to toast the whole spices and then grind them into a fine powder. In this instance, a store-bought paste and pre-packed spice blend will certainly not guarantee the same robust and authentic flavour!

ABOUT THE CHEF

Cariema  Isaacs is a South African food writer, chef and entrepreneur based in Dubai, where she attained her culinary diploma at the International Centre for Culinary Arts. An active food blogger on social media, she has published two cookbooks. Her first book, Cooking  for  my  Father  in  My  Cape  Malay  Kitchen,  a  heartfelt tribute to her father, was inspired by recollections of growing up in Bo-Kaap, the Cape Malay Quarter of Cape Town. Her second, Spice Odyssey, was nominated for the Gourmand Culinary Awards 2020 in the category of spices. Cariema lives in Dubai with her two sons and her husband Turhaan Samodien, a budding photographer. Curried is their first collaboration together.

Photography by Crush Magazine