Cauliflower Butternut squash Vindaloo
Classic delicious Goa style Vegetarian Vindaloo curry
The main reason is that I don't make the Vindaloo curry paste from scratch — I use a store-bought paste. At the end of the day, grinding all those spices doesn't make a lot of sense. Sometimes it's more pragmatic to use a good Vindaloo paste than making it from scratch... although we do compromise on flavor a bit... but just a little bit.
Cauliflower Butternut Squash Vindaloo origins
This is a variation of a typical southern Indian dish originally from the state of Goa. Vindaloo curry is a historical version of a Portuguese dish that arrived in Goa a few hundred years ago, in the 1800s. The name comes from the Portuguese vinha d'alhos — a garlic and wine marinade, which is how Portuguese sailors preserved their meat.As usual, Indian cooks adopted the marinade and added their typical spices — nowadays that includes cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cumin, ginger, and many more.
The method
This is a 30-minute meal, remember? To keep it quick, we need to cook several parts of the dish simultaneously. It's not hard — we just need enough space on our stove.We start by cooking the butternut squash and cauliflower while making the rice. We cut all the vegetables while the rice and cauliflower cook, so when they're off the heat we immediately start the sauce — that'll take another 15 minutes. Sounds easy? It is. Just have all your ingredients ready and I'll guarantee a 30-minute meal.
Vindaloo is pretty spicy — that's one of its trademarks. I use coconut milk and a pinch of butter to make the dish a bit more kid-friendly (it's also a typical southern Indian cuisine flavor and style), but go ahead and add more Vindaloo paste if you want to take it to the extreme.
The Vindaloo can be served with Naan bread or rice — make sure you have plenty of whichever you choose, you'll need it to wipe up the sauce.
Method
- 1
prepare the cualiflower and Butternut squash· 12 minutes
Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Add the cauliflower and butternut squash and cook for 12 minutes. The cauliflower and butternut squash don't have to be super soft, they need to have some crunch to it, don't forget, we will cook them a bit more with the sauce. Set aside to cool.
- 2
cook the sauce· 15 Minutes
Heat a big wok or saucepan until shimmering. Add the onions and cook until transparent over medium heat for 3 minutes. Pour the coconut milk, Vindaloo paste, garam masala, cumin and bring the coconut milk mix to a simmer. Add the cauliflower, butternut squash and spinach, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes to reduce the sauce. Turn off the heat, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add the butter and coriander and mix well.
- 3
Serve the Vindaloo
Set a bowl with rice and place the vindaloo sauce and vegetables over it. Add sour cream and fresh coriander and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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