Lamb Vindaloo also called Mutton Vindaloo in India is a spicy, sweet, and tangy Indian(Goan) restaurant-style lamb recipe that has its influence from Portuguese. It is traditionally prepared with tender lamb/goat meat that is marinated and simmered in a special vindaloo sauce, and the same way Chicken Vindaloo and Shrimp Vindaloo are also prepared. Basically, the word Vindaloo refers to meat marinated in red wine and garlic.
The post I have shared here explains how to make a lamb vindaloo easily at home with easy step-by-step written and video instructions. It is a perfect gluten-free, and a paleo-friendly dish that pairs great as a side dish with rice, naan, roti, or most Indian flatbread for your lunch and dinner. And the bonus is lamb vindaloo can be made easily either on the stovetop, slow cooker, or instant pot.
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What is Lamb Vindaloo?
Vindaloo is a popular Goan cuisine dish derived from Portuguese Carne de vinha d'alhos which means meat in wine and garlic. In the olden days, the Portuguese sailors preserved their raw meat in containers carrying red wine and garlic. It is also one of the ancient techniques to preserve, tenderize and flavor up the meat.
Thus, Goan chefs modified this technique replacing wine with vinegar and other spices to flavor up the dish. The dish that was introduced was later known as Vindaloo. Usually, the traditional vindaloo is prepared with pork meat, not chicken or lamb meat.
This fiery red spicy curry is prepared with a special masala paste that makes the dish delicious and appetizing. It is also one of the popular curries in most Indian restaurants across the globe.
The typical vindaloo curry is not prepared with tomatoes and it is usually spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet in its flavor and taste. The goan home cooks and restaurants serve this delicious dish with crusty pao bread(goan pav bun) and sannas which are nothing but steamed rice cakes.
Ingredients
Spices
- Cinnamon, cardamom and cloves - These whole Indian spices give exotic flavor and taste to the dish
- Dry red chilies and coriander seeds - I have used Byadgi red chili that gives a glowing red color to curry but you can also use regular red chili powder or Kashmiri chili powder. Though the fresh coriander seeds give a nice aroma, you can also use coriander powder if seeds are not really handy for you
- Peppercorn and Cumin seeds - I have used only ½ tsp which gives only moderate heat to the curry and if you really need some extra hotness then feel free to adjust accordingly. Cumin seeds give a nice earthy aroma to the curry
- Ginger-Garlic Paste - Gives a nice aroma, flavor, and great taste to the curry
Other ingredients
- Lamb - Tender cut bone-in preferably shoulder part meat pieces work great for this curry. But you can also use goat, chicken, or pork meat instead to explore different flavors
- Vinegar - It is one of the important ingredients that make this dish unique from other dishes. So I suggest not to skip it to enjoy the real authentic flavor and taste
- Sugar and Tamarind Paste - Typically authentic curry does not use tomatoes, but I have used tamarind paste to give a slight tangy punch. Sugar added here enhances the taste and you will never feel the sweetness in the curry. But if you would like to have a restaurant-style creamy lamb/goat vindaloo, then you could use tomato puree to achieve the same
How to Make Lamb Vindaloo?
The recipe shared here is a hot and spicy authentic Goan Restaurant-style Lamb/mutton Vindaloo on the stovetop and the quantity serves up to 3 to 4 people. So let us how to make this dish easily at home with easy step-by-step written and video instructions.
To give a clear idea, the following are the steps involved in making this dish.
- Preparation of vindaloo paste
- Marinating the meat
- Making the curry
Preparation of Vindaloo paste
To make the paste, add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves dry red chiles, coriander seeds, vinegar, tamarind paste, and water to the blender jar.
Grind everything until it turns into a smooth paste. Now the spicy vindaloo paste is ready for us to marinate the lamb or goat.
Marinating the meat
To marinate, take the medium size cut lamb meat in a bowl and add sugar, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and vindaloo paste and give a good mix.
Rest the marinated meat overnight in the refrigerator or at least an hour before making the curry, This helps the meat to absorb all the flavors from the spices and vinegar.
Making Lamb Vindaloo
To make curry, in a pan with medium heat saute the bay leaf, dry red chili, and ginger garlic paste, and saute until it turns aromatic. Then add in the onions and saute until it turns soft.
After the onions are nice and soft, stir in the marinated lamb. Stir the lamb for 5 to 7 minutes to remove the raw aroma from the masala paste.
Now close the pan with a lid and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, open the lid and pour water, and give a quick mix.
Now close the pan again and cook the lamb for 30 to 40 minutes. Once the time pass, open the lid and cook the lamb gravy in low heat until it turns thick reddish-brown curry.
Finally, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or naan.
Lamb Vindaloo Instant Pot recipe
To make a really quick instant pot mutton vindaloo, press the saute button and pour oil, and add in the bay leaf, dry red chili, ginger garlic paste, and onions. Saute them until the onion turns soft.
Now add in the marinated lamb pieces and give a good mix. Deglaze the pan with 2 to 3 tsp of water if anything sticks at the pot's bottom. Now add 1 cup of water and give a nice mix.
Now switch the instant pot to pressure cook mode and cook on "high" for 15 minutes. Once the cycle finishes, let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid and garnish with cilantro leaves. If you really want the curry to be thick, then cook the curry in saute mode for 3 to 5 minutes or until the desired consistency you prefer.
Now the instant pot lamb vindaloo is ready to enjoy with your favorite rice, bread, or naan.
Lamb Vindaloo Slow Cooker recipe
You can also make the lamb/goat vindaloo in a slow cooker or crockpot. To make that, add the oil and saute onions until soft in a frying pan. Then add the marinated meat pieces along with onions into the slow cooker or crockpot.
After that, pour 1 cup of water and give it a good mix. Close the lid and slow cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or until tender. Once it is done, open the lid and garnish with cilantro leaves.
Now the delicious slow cooker mutton vindaloo is ready to taste and enjoy.
Variations
Even though authentic vindaloo is basically made with pork meat, you can always try the recipe with chicken, prawn, goat, or beef.
Though potatoes are nothing to do with the traditional vindaloo recipe, there is no harm in trying the dish with them. So go ahead and add some potatoes if you really want to add some to your vindaloo curry. It literally tastes amazing:)
Tips
Lamb vindaloo paste is a spicy and sour marinade that gives a whole lot of flavor to the dish.
Marinating the lamb meat in the vindaloo paste overnight or for long hours helps the meat absorb all its flavors.
Adding vinegar gives the authentic Goan-style lamb vindaloo and I suggest not skipping this particular ingredient.
I have used white vinegar here but you can also use rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. If you really get a chance to use Feni, the authentic goa liquor then you can use that too.
I have added ½ tsp of concentrated tamarind to give a slightly sour punch to the curry but you can also replace it with fresh tamarind pulp instead.
Even though I have cooked the meat in the pan, you can also precook the meat in the pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistles to speed up the process. And you can also make the whole process of lamb/goat vindaloo in an Instant pot or slow cooker to make your life easier.
I have used tender bone-in lamb meat and goat meat also works well for this recipe.
Even though the authentic lamb vindaloo recipe does not require tomato, you can feel free to add tomato puree or tomato paste to get a restaurant-style creamy-textured curry.
This lamb vindaloo is a lip-smacking delicious dish that pairs great with rice, naan, roti, or most Indian flatbreads.
Storage Suggestions
This lamb vindaloo stays good for up to 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator in a clean airtight container. And the curry also freezes well in the freezer for up to 4 months. If you plan to freeze, pack them in the individual portions that you want to reuse again.
You can also freeze the vindaloo paste in the freezer in individual freezer-friendly bags and stays good for up to 6 months. You can always use the portion that you want and make a great vindaloo with chicken, beef, lamb, or pork of your choice.
Serving Suggestions
This restaurant-style lamb vindaloo tastes great with any rice dishes like basmati, jeera rice, pulao, bread, or naan. And you can also serve it with chapati, paratha or bun.
Are you a fan of chicken curry? then I have also shared the recipe for Chicken Vindaloo in this blog and if you are a seafood lover I have Shrimp Vindaloo to satisfy your craving for seafood. Hope you will like and enjoy it.
You can also find similar Mutton or Lamb and Chicken Recipes below.
Looking for more Non-veg curries to prepare for your next meal, then you might like the collection of Indian Chicken Dry and Semi Gravy Recipes to enjoy with your family and loved ones.
More Indian non-veg curry recipes you may be interested in:
Video Instructions
I have also shared a video of this lamb vindaloo recipe that I hope will help you to make a delicious authentic goan style curry at home. For a quick reference, you could also find this Lamb Vindaloo in story format.
📖 Recipe
Lamb Vindaloo (Mutton Vindaloo)
Ingredients
For Vindaloo Paste/Masala
- 9 Dry Red Chilies
- ¼ cup Coriander Seeds
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 4 Cardamom
- 4 Cloves
- ½ tsp Tamarind Paste, thick or Tamarind Sauce
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- ½ tsp Peppercorn
- ¼ cup Water
Other Ingredients
- 1¼ lb Lamb, or goat, medium cut bone-in tender meat
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- Salt, as needed
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- 1 Onion, finely sliced
- ¼ cup Oil
- 1½ cup Water
Instructions
To Prepare Lamb Vindaloo Paste
- In a blender jar, add cinnamon, cardamom, dry red chilies, coriander seeds, cloves, vinegar, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp, and water
- Grind all the ingredients into a fine smooth paste
To Marinate
- In a bowl take a fresh tender lamb or goat meat, and add ginger garlic paste, sugar, salt, and the vindaloo paste
- Mix everything well and allow it to marinate overnight or for at least 1 hour. This helps the lamb to absorb all the flavors from the masala
To Prepare Lamb Vindaloo
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add bay leaves, dry red chilies, ginger garlic paste and saute until it turns aromatic
- Add onions and saute until it turns soft
- Add the marinated lamb meat and saute for 3 to 5 minutes
- Close the pan with the lid and cook the goat/lamb mixture for 5 to 7 minutes
- Now open the lid and pour 1½ cup of water and mix well
- Close the pan again and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Since I have taken tender lamb meat, it took 35 minutes to cook but it may vary according to the age of the goat
- Open the lid and allow the curry to turn thick and reddish-brown in color
- Garnish with coriander leaves and now the lamb vindaloo is ready to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this delicious Lamb Vindaloo with rice, naan, chapati, or any Indian flatbread
Video
Notes
- Lamb vindaloo paste is a spicy and sour marinade that gives a whole lot of flavor to the dish. Marinating the lamb meat in the vindaloo paste overnight or for long hours helps the meat to absorb all the flavors from it
- Adding vinegar gives the authentic Goan-style lamb vindaloo and I suggest not to skip this particular ingredient. I have used white vinegar here but you can also use rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- I have added ½ tsp of concentrated tamarind paste to give a slightly sour punch to the curry but you can also replace it with fresh tamarind pulp instead
- Even though I have cooked the meat in the pan, you can also precook the meat in the pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistles, or an instant pot to speed up the process
- I have used tender bone-in lamb meat but you can also use goat meat for this recipe
- Even though the authentic lamb vindaloo recipe does not require tomato, you can feel free to add tomato puree or tomato paste to get a restaurant-style creamy textured curry
- This lamb vindaloo is a lip-smacking delicious and spicy dish that pairs great with rice, naan, roti, or most Indian flatbreads
Nutrition
FAQ
Lamb vindaloo is a traditional Goan style spicy, tangy and sweet dish that has its fluence from Portuguese Carne de vinha d'alhos which means meat in wine and garlic. This Goan style is traditionally prepared with a special spicy and tangy marinade called vindaloo paste. The typical vindaloo is prepared with pork, lamb, beef, or chicken according to individual preferences. It is one of the famous curries that got its popularity across the globe for its unique taste and flavor.
Yes, you can make lamb/goat vindaloo in the instant pot and it is also really easy to make in under 30 minutes. To make the curry, just saute all the and add in the marinated lamb pieces and cook on high for 15 minutes. I have given the detailed instruction above to make easily at home.
Yes, lamb vindaloo is an absolutely gluten-free and paleo-friendly dish. I haven't added any flour or gluten content ingredients, so yeah it is gluten-free.
This lamb/goat vindaloo stays good for up to 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator in a clean airtight container. And the curry also freezes well in the freezer for up to 4 months. If you plan to freeze, pack them in the individual portions that you want to reuse again.
I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
More non-veg curries:
Sheila Nalliannan
Lovely, mouthwatering recipe!
Sangeetha Vel
Glad you liked it, thanks for the feedback 🙂