Pork vindaloo is a popular Goan curry that’s tangy, spicy, and flavorful. It’s also effortless to make in an Instant Pot!
Instant pot vindaloo is a spicy and saucy pork curry full of flavor. It’s a bit tangy thanks to the vinegar in the dish, and it’s also known to be spicy (though you can, of course, adjust to taste).
What is Vindaloo?
The short answer: vindaloo is known as an Indian dish with Portuguese origins. The dish was brought to India by Portuguese explorers, where the recipe was adapted using local ingredients and spices.
A slightly more detailed answer:
When the Portuguese came to India during the 15th century, they colonized Goa (and up until the 1960s, Goa was actually still a Portuguese colony…). When the Portuguese arrived, they brought a dish called carne vinha d’alhos, which translates to pork cooked in garlic and wine vinegar. That dish was doctored up with Indian/Goan spices/ingredients, and the name was shortened to vindaloo.
This past summer, we took a family trip to Portugal, and the food there was very, very mild. While I didn’t get to try the original carne vinha d’alhos (pork with garlic and wine vinegar), I have to assume that it’s also a very mild dish. I can’t imagine the original Portuguese version and the Goan version have anything in common outside of the pork and garlic. The vindaloo that I’m familiar with is made with plenty of Indian spices and has quite a bit of heat.
What’s interesting is that the Portuguese are the ones who introduced chili peppers to India. Before visiting Portugal, I guess I just figured their cuisine would be spicy too, so it was surprising that that wasn’t the case.
In her book, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, historian Lizzie Collingham says the Portuguese likely brought the chili peppers from Brazil by way of Lisbon and then to India. And while “the Portuguese in India had developed a liking for the fiery taste of the chili pepper,” I learned that wasn’t the case for palates back home. It seems that “on the Iberian Peninsula, chilies were grown more as curious ornamental plants than as sources of a fiery flavoring.”
As for the Portuguese in India, they used chillis “in excessive quantities in vindaloo. Some recipes call for as many as 20 red chillis.” My recipe is nowhere near as spicy, though my south Indian husband would probably prefer the 20 chili version, ha.
I use cayenne chili pepper in my recipe, which is easy to adapt to taste, so make this dish as spicy as you’d like!
“This was absolutely breathtaking. Flavor, texture, everything! I trimmed all the extra fat from the pork shoulder, but there was still plenty of marbling to make it fork-tender and delicious.”
Peter
Does Vindaloo have potatoes in it?
Some people think that vindaloo should have potatoes because vindaloo contains the word ‘aloo.’ In Hindi, aloo means potatoes. The fact that ‘aloo’ is in the name is just a coincidence. This dish is all meat – no taters in here.
That said, I have an easy recipe for Instant Pot Ground Pork Vindaloo with Potatoes on my blog. The only reason I use potatoes in that recipe is to help stretch out the meal and also cut some of the heat. It’s a good weeknight option, but if you’re looking for a meaty pork vindaloo, this recipe, made with pork shoulder, is the one to try.
What to Serve with Pork Vindaloo
You can serve pork vindaloo with any Indian flatbread or Basmati Rice. Here are some more ideas:
Pork Vindaloo Recipe (Instant Pot)
Pork Vindaloo Recipe (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 2 onions diced
- 1 Serrano pepper or green chili minced
- 2 pounds pork shoulder cut into 1.5 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
Spices
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 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
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- 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 and Serrano pepper. Stir-fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add the pork, garlic and ginger. Stir for 3-4 minutes to brown the meat on all sides.
- Add the spices, give everything a good mix, then add the vinegar and water.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 25 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- 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.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
- For extra tang, feel free to add a bit of tamarind paste to this recipe if you’d like!
Vicki says
too salty using table salt. perhaps you use a different salt. If using table salt cut back half. But the flavour was good.
Brian says
This delicious recipe is deceptively simple to prepare.
I find that you must brown the pork in the oil in two batches before you sautee the aromatics. Following the recipe crowds too much into the bottom of the instant pot, which prevents browning. Proper browning produces a gravy with deeper color and flavor.
I like a lot of gravy – isn’t that why we eat with rice?! – so on the second try I increased all ingredients except pork by 1/3, which still fits easily below the max fill line in the Instant Pot. And, because I prefer a smooth gravy, I removed the pork and pulsed the gravy with a stick blender before serving.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Brian, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this 🙂
Diane E says
I made this dish for last night’s dinner, serving it with basmati rice and sauteed chard. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for a wonderful new way with pork. And thank you for the information about Goa and your beautiful photos — so interesting 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Diane, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed it 🙂
Asha says
I made this yesterday. I do not cook often, but your recipe had simple ingredients and the instructions were so clear and easy to understand. I am so grateful! The pork curry was so tasty and actually tasted like I was in Auntie’s house! Thanks for giving me the confidence to try more recipes on your site!!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Asha, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoyed it 🙂
Mary E. Siemens says
Used all of the spices but less for the first time. This recipe is a keeper!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad to hear that! 🙂
Meika says
Question! Trying to get some freezer space by using up some of the onion masala! (i know, i know…). I saw you used it in the chicken vindaloo but really wanted to make pork vinadloo.. Any suggestion on how to add in frozen onion masala to this pork vindaloo recipe?
Scott Huckleberry says
Have you tried it using pork chops or loin roast instead of pork shoulder?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Scott, I have not – but hopefully another reader can chime in if they’ve tried.
Scott Huckleberry says
Going to try it tonight. Stay tuned 🙂
Deb Falk says
I’ve used smoked pork loin…delicious!
Diane E says
Hi Scott, I used two thick bone-in pork chops. I rough cut the meat off the bones and cut it into chunks. There was still meat on the bones, so I browned them along with the cubes and left them in the pot. Since it was just my husband and me, we didn’t mind the slightly less elegant presentation. Worked great and tasted amazing, although a little leaner than pork shoulder would have been.
Pat says
I have made this twice. Both times it was excellent. Didn’t change a thing except once I used Tamarind Paste. Used 1/2 teaspoon cayenne both times. Meat was tender. A real spice bomb!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Pat, I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Manny says
Could I replace the pork with beef? If so what cut of beef? And the cooking time?
Meaghan says
I’ve substituted stewing beef chunks for recipes similar to this. Cut into the piece size she recommends 1 lb of stewing beef takes 20 min in the pressure cooker. Maybe 25 if you want it more tender.