I will admit I have an ulterior motive for this recipe. My extra freezer is on the fritz and I am in need to use up some pork that was in it. It also got a little freezer burned, so I needed something that had some punch. I found a recipe from My Heart Beets that fit the bill and it uses an Instant Pot. There is a lot of history in this dish. Ashley, who runs the blog does an excellent job showing the rich history to this dish. Even though it is thought of as a purely Indian dish, it has Spanish origins. Some people hear vindaloo and think that it means the dish will be on fire! Vindaloo is a style and you can make it at home as spicy as you like. One of the things I noticed about spice levels is that it varies by culture. When I eat Chinese or Mexican, I order my food medium spicy. When I order southeast Asian cuisine, I order mild. Their idea of mild is still pretty spicy. Anyway, I am looking forward to using up the pork in my now defunct freezer. Here are the original stats:
Here’s what I changed:
- I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
- I replaced the pork butt with pork loin because that’s what I had to work with.
- I increased the servings from 6 to 15 to lower the calories.
- I added rice to round out the meal.
- I added red bell pepper to add vitamin C.
- I added carrot and spinach to increase the vitamin C.
Here are the final stats:
Here is the final recipe:
Pork and Vegetable Vindaloo
Serves 15
- 1.5 cups brown basmati rice
- 3 cups of water
- 4 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
▢½ teaspoon black mustard seeds - 2 onions diced
- 1 Serrano pepper or green chili minced
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 5 red bell peppers, finely chopped
- 4.25 pounds pork loin
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- ¾ cup water
- 10 ounces baby spinach
- Cilantro garnish
- Add the rice and water to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Set aside.
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Press the sauté button, add oil and allow it a minute to heat up. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once the cumin seeds brown and the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onions, carrot, bell pepper and serrano pepper. Stir-fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
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Add the pork, garlic and ginger. Stir for 3-4 minutes to brown the meat on all sides.
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Add the paprika through cayenne, and mix well. Add the vinegar and water.
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Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 25 minutes at high pressure.
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Naturally release pressure.
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Open lid, press the sauté button and cook for 8-10 minutes to boil off some of the liquid and reduce the gravy to a stew like consistency.
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Add in the spinach and cook until wilted.
- Serve with rice and cilantro.
Your Level Best 