Lamb Vindaloo - Spicy & Full of Flavour

Recipe: Lamb Vindaloo Recipe »

This lamb vindaloo is a bold, spicy Indian curry packed with warming spices and incredible depth of flavour. Inspired by its Goan-Portuguese roots, this version uses wine for a rich, aromatic twist that makes it truly special. Made with tender slow-cooked lamb shoulder, this curry can be cooked on the stovetop, slow cooker or pressure cooker!

About This Lamb Vindaloo

Lamb Vindaloo is a spicy Indian curry made with a range of delicious spices and dried chillis. It is a wonderful curry that is a powerhouse of flavour. Vindaloo was based on the Portuguese dish "carne de vinha d'alhos" which is meat marinated in wine and garlic. Vin means wine and the meat was marinated in a mix of wine, vinegar and garlic. The method of making vindaloo then travelled via the Portuguese explorers who arrived in Goa. And vindaloo became a staple in British Indian cuisine as many Goan cooks introduced it after they migrated there. In Britain they made it fiery spicy which is the hallmark of the dish. My version of lamb vindaloo is a bit different from others as it has one ingredient that you don't often see in curries but I think really works here!

This lamb vindaloo was inspired my very popular Beef Vindaloo recipe which was inspired by the Goan vindaloo with the vinegar added in and I wanted to make one using lamb to see how the more tender meat would go without the vinegar but using wine instead. Yes wine which is harking back to its origins! And I'm here to tell you that it really gives this lamb vindaloo curry an incredible depth of flavour!

I also wanted to see how it would work in the slow cooker and pressure cooker!

And please note my lovelies, a vindaloo is not a mild, creamy curry, it is a gutsy, spicy curry that is full of flavour.

Video How To Make Lamb Vindaloo

Video: How to Make A Lamb Vindaloo Curry

Ingredients For Lamb Vindaloo

Lamb - Lamb shoulder is the best cut for curries as has more marbled fat through it so cooking it low and slow makes this melt in the mouth.

Spices - Most of these spices (ground cumin, turmeric, mustard seeds, cardamom, paprika, cloves, black pepper, bay leaves) can be found at the supermarket except perhaps the fenugreek and whole dried red chillies. If you have an Indian grocery store you will find all of these spices at much better prices and bigger quantities.

Onions - White, yellow or red onions work here.

Garlic cloves - large fresh garlic cloves

Ginger paste - freshly grated or jarred ginger paste also works.

Tomato paste - Triple concentrate if you have it.

Wine - Use an inexpensive white wine or brandy.

Bay leaves - Use fresh or dried bay leaves.

Beef stock cubes - These tend to be quite strong and salty so I only use 2 and control the seasoning right at the end.

Tips For Making Lamb Vindaloo

1 - You can make this lamb vindaloo on the stovetop, slow cooker or pressure cooker/instant pot depending on preference. My instructions are for the stovetop at a very low temperature but to cook in a pressure cooker/instant pot set it for 45 minutes and to cook in a slow cooker on low setting for 8 hours.

2 - I used a lot of ground spices for this curry because I didn't want to pick out cardamom pods etc out of it as that can change the eating experience.

3 - Ask your butcher to cut up the lamb for you in larger chunks as the lamb pieces shrink once cooked. You want the chunks to be around 1.5-2inches square.

4 - There are a lot of spices in this curry but all of these spices are available at the supermarket and if you cook a lot of Indian food they'll be spices you use again and again.

5 - The total time to cook this curry is low and slow but it also depends on how old the lamb is so use the time as a rough guide. Test it with a fork to see how tender the lamb is and that will be your best guide.

Other Indian curries you might like to try next: Authentic Butter Chicken, Slow Cooker Lamb Korma or Palak Paneer made with Halloumi!

Lamb Vindaloo Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 3.5 hours on stovetop, 1 hour instant pot/pressure cooker, 8 hours 15 minutes slow cooker

Serves: 4 with rice

Ingredients Needed

• 1kg/2.2lbs lamb shoulder, boneless
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
• 3 tablespoons ginger paste
• 100g/3.5ozs. tomato paste
• 1/4 cup/60ml/2fl oz white wine or brandy
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 5 cups water plus more if needed
• Salt to taste (around 3-4 teaspoons)
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Spice Mix

• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole black mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoon grounds cardamom
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
• 6-12 dried red chillies (go according to your taste) or 2 small red fresh chillies

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 FRY - First cut up lamb into large chunks, around 1.5-2 inches. Add all of the spices (cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, black mustard seeds, cardamom, cloves, black pepper) into a large, dry saucepan or pot on medium heat and toast for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add oil and fry the onions in the spice mixture until soft. Then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Then add the ginger and tomato paste and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the lamb pieces to the pan and brown on each side. Then add the brandy and use this to deglaze the pan (remove any sticky bits on the pan's surface).

Step 2 SIMMER - Add the bay leaves and chillies and crumble the beef stock cubes in. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a simmer and cook on very low heat for 3 hours or until the lamb is very tender. You want the sauce bubbling slightly but nothing more as this is a gentle cook. Every 30 minutes check that there is enough water adding more if needed.

Step 3 SEASON - When the lamb is super tender, season with salt and sugar to taste. Serve with steamed brown or white basmati rice.

Personal Note

Speaking of lamb, I recently invited Queen Viv, Miss America and Carla over for our Autumn lamb dinner. This was the first time Carla had met Queen Viv and Miss America but I had an inkling they'd get on well and they got on superbly.

One thing that I've always wanted to make was a 3D lamb cake. And I thought that the people that would appreciate it most would be Queen Viv and Miss America with their crazy sense of humour. So I brought the cake out and they got me straight away.

But the one that was really transfixed by the lamb cake was Teddy Elliott. He stared at it intently for a good minute. It got so funny that everyone noticed his staring. We brought him closer and he sniffed at it but didn't attempt to eat it. It was as if he were thinking, "Mama is that you?".

And a few days later he was sitting on the bed while I was working out and I saw his pose and saw that indeed, he does position himself sitting like the lamb cake!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like spicy, bold curries or do you prefer milder, creamier curries?