NOTE: I absolutely love Indian food: the spices, the heat, the aroma, and the exciting flavor combinations. A Vindaloo dish is known for its hot spices, but like all Indian food, it can be made “mild or wild!” This is how I decided to make it, and I would say that it is “medium hot” on the spice scale. You can calibrate how spicy this is for you by adding the Vindaloo curry spice one tablespoon at a time. When I have ordered it in Indian restaurants, they usually have chunks of white potato in the sauce as well as the shrimp. I was never fond of this: why would you want a starchy potato on top of rice? So I enacted a creative decision, and chose another vegetable that is used in Indian cooking, and I made a bold and decisive switch. Voila! Introducing the cauliflower into this hot tub of thick, savory, spicy Vindaloo sauce! The results: smashing! The cauliflower gives the sauce more flavor, and provides a nice relief from the spice with less calories! I recommend that you serve this bright, hot, and exciting dish on top of rice, with your favorite chutney, and Indian Lime Pickle on the side. This is one easy-to-make awesome Vindaloo that will really rock you!
Ingredients:
– 2 cups of Cauliflower florets, cut in fourths
– 3 cups of chopped Onion
– 1/3 cup Olive Oil
– 1 14.5-ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
– 1 14.5-ounce can of Tomato Sauce
– 1 6-ounce can of Tomato Paste
– 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed Lime Juice
– 2 tablespoons of Vinegar
– 1 tablespoon of Sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon Salt
– 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
– 3 tablespoons of Vindaloo Spice
– 16 – 18 large Shrimp
– 2 cups Rice, cooked in 4 cups of water
Suggested condiments to have on the side:
– Mango Chutney
– Hot or Mild Indian Lime Pickle (or Mango Pickle, Lemon Pickle, or Mixed Pickle)
NOTE ON VINDALOO SPICE: All curry powders are blends of several different spices. Vindaloo seasoning is a unique mixture of curry ingredients. Vindaloo spice can be found in any Indian spice shop, regular spice shop, import food shop, or even on the internet. It is a hot blend of coriander, cumin seed, garlic, red pepper, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and cloves.
Directions:
In a wok, pot, or large frying pan, add the cauliflower, onions, and olive oil. Sauté the vegetables over medium high heat until they start to soften up, but still have some crunch to them. To the pan add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, limejuice, vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger, and Vindaloo spice.
When the sauce is bubbling, and boiling, turn it down and continue to simmer. Put on the water for the rice, and when it boils, add the dry rice, cover, return to a boil, and then turn down to a very low simmer. Continue cooking the rice for 20 minutes.
While this is happening, in a frying pan, with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté the shrimp until it is done, approximately seven minutes. You can leave the tails intact or remove them. When the shrimp are cooked, remove them from the heat.
Continue occasionally stirring the Vindaloo sauce as needed, and taste to see if you need to adjust the spice content of it. When the rice is finished cooking, put the shrimp in the sauce, and serve them on rice. The heat of the sauce will immediately warm up the cooked shrimp if they have cooled off.
As an option, for serving you can put the rice on the serving plate, cover the rice with sauce, put the shrimp on top and drizzle sauce on them. Either way, it is going to be absolutely delicious.
NOTE: My two recommended side Indian condiments are: Mango Chutney, and Indian Lime Pickle. Since this is a spicy dish, the chutney is great to provide a “cool down” sweet taste. And if you have never had Indian Lime Pickle, Mango Pickle, Lemon Pickle, or Mixed Pickle, it a real treat, and gives a salty, spicy, sour note, that goes great with Indian food.
– 2 cups of Cauliflower florets, cut in fourths
– 3 cups of chopped Onion
– 1/3 cup Olive Oil
– 1 14.5-ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
– 1 14.5-ounce can of Tomato Sauce
– 1 6-ounce can of Tomato Paste
– 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed Lime Juice
– 2 tablespoons of Vinegar
– 1 tablespoon of Sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon Salt
– 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
– 3 tablespoons of Vindaloo Spice
– 16 – 18 large Shrimp
– 2 cups Rice, cooked in 4 cups of water
Suggested condiments to have on the side:
– Mango Chutney
– Hot or Mild Indian Lime Pickle (or Mango Pickle, Lemon Pickle, or Mixed Pickle)
NOTE ON VINDALOO SPICE: All curry powders are blends of several different spices. Vindaloo seasoning is a unique mixture of curry ingredients. Vindaloo spice can be found in any Indian spice shop, regular spice shop, import food shop, or even on the internet. It is a hot blend of coriander, cumin seed, garlic, red pepper, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and cloves.
Directions:
In a wok, pot, or large frying pan, add the cauliflower, onions, and olive oil. Sauté the vegetables over medium high heat until they start to soften up, but still have some crunch to them. To the pan add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, limejuice, vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger, and Vindaloo spice.
When the sauce is bubbling, and boiling, turn it down and continue to simmer. Put on the water for the rice, and when it boils, add the dry rice, cover, return to a boil, and then turn down to a very low simmer. Continue cooking the rice for 20 minutes.
While this is happening, in a frying pan, with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté the shrimp until it is done, approximately seven minutes. You can leave the tails intact or remove them. When the shrimp are cooked, remove them from the heat.
Continue occasionally stirring the Vindaloo sauce as needed, and taste to see if you need to adjust the spice content of it. When the rice is finished cooking, put the shrimp in the sauce, and serve them on rice. The heat of the sauce will immediately warm up the cooked shrimp if they have cooled off.
As an option, for serving you can put the rice on the serving plate, cover the rice with sauce, put the shrimp on top and drizzle sauce on them. Either way, it is going to be absolutely delicious.
NOTE: My two recommended side Indian condiments are: Mango Chutney, and Indian Lime Pickle. Since this is a spicy dish, the chutney is great to provide a “cool down” sweet taste. And if you have never had Indian Lime Pickle, Mango Pickle, Lemon Pickle, or Mixed Pickle, it a real treat, and gives a salty, spicy, sour note, that goes great with Indian food.