Goan Vindaloo Paste (Vinho d'Alho Base)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The Portuguese-Goan original: garlic and vinegar carrying a dark, toasted spice grind, chiles bloomed in hot vinegar instead of water so nothing gets diluted. This is a working base, not a condiment — it's built to be fried in oil until the fat splits out, then simmered with pork, chicken, potatoes or lamb. One batch makes enough for three dinners and it only gets better after a week in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 12 dried Kashmiri chiles, stemmed and torn (or 8 guajillo)
• 4 dried hot red chiles such as árbol, stemmed (adjust to taste)
• 3/4 cup cane vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 8 whole cloves
• 6 green cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 cinnamon stick (2-inch), broken up
• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 20 garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 large head)
• 3 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 1 tbsp jaggery or dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for storage

Instructions

1. Wipe the dried chiles with a damp cloth, pull off the stems and shake out most of the seeds. Tear them into rough pieces.
2. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 60 to 90 seconds, pressing them against the pan and turning constantly. They should smell sweet and smoky and darken slightly — the moment you smell anything acrid, pull the pan off the heat. Tip them into a heatproof bowl.
3. Warm the vinegar in a small saucepan until it just steams, about 150°F (do not boil it or the sharpness cooks off), and pour it over the toasted chiles. Press them under with a spoon, cover, and soak 30 minutes until fully pliable.
4. Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium-low heat and toast the cumin, coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, fenugreek, cloves, cardamom seeds and cinnamon together, shaking the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes. The mustard seeds will start to pop and the cumin will turn one shade darker. Slide them onto a plate immediately to stop the cooking and cool for 5 minutes.
5. Grind the toasted spices to a fine powder in a spice grinder or clean coffee mill, 45 to 60 seconds, then stir in the turmeric. Sift out any woody cinnamon shards if your grinder left them behind.
6. Scrape the chiles and all their soaking vinegar into a blender. Add the garlic, ginger, tamarind, jaggery, salt and the ground spice mix.
7. Blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides, until you have a completely smooth, brick-red paste with no chile skin flecks. If the blender stalls, add vinegar 1 tablespoon at a time — never water. It should be thick enough to mound on a spoon.
8. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat and add about a third of the paste. Fry, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the raw garlic smell is gone and the oil separates and pools red at the edges. Stir this cooked portion back into the rest of the paste — it deepens the flavour and stretches the fridge life. Cool completely.
9. Pack into a clean jar, smooth the top, and pour a thin film of oil over the surface to seal it. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before using; the flavour rounds out dramatically overnight.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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