In May 2021 we launched the first Indian Ocean Craft Triennial. In celebration our friends at Spice Mama (Shaheen & Sultana) made special vindaloo spice blend. Sachets were given out with a ceramic spice jar, also specially crafted for the Triennial launch by the Perth Studio Potters.
If you were lucky enough to receive the spice and jar – did you make a vindaloo?
Read on for info about the spice blend and the recipe that accompanied it.
IOTA21 X SPICE MAMA:
In countries around the Indian Ocean Rim, spice making is a ritual of the everyday, a simple practice of blending diverse ingredients into a unified whole, a reminder that the genesis of global trade in this rich region was driven by the quest for spices. The special vindaloo blend, made with love to celebrate the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial, combined local chilli and bay leaves with fragrant cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and turmeric according to an age-old family recipe from India. The art of making a vindaloo (carne de vinha d’alhos), a dish brought from Portugal to India in the fifteenth century, conjures up all the original ingredients of the Columbian exchange: tomatoes, chillies and potato from the Americas and spices from Asia.
RECIPE
Ingredients: 1 sachet (15 grams) vindaloo spice, 1 kilo meat or veggies, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 red onions, finely sliced, 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 4 large tomatoes/cup tomato passata, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), 1 teaspoon sugar, 2-3tablespoons white vinegar.
Method: fry onions in oil for 20-25 minutes until soft and caramelised, add garlic, vindaloo spice and then quickly add meat, potatoes and/or veggies (so spice mix does not burn). Fry for a few minutes, then add tomatoes and salt, turn heat down, cover and cook according to ingredient (up to 45 minutes for bone-in chicken, 2 hours for red meat), stirring occasionally and adding a little water if dry. When the curry is cooked, add tomato paste, sugar and vinegar, tasting to ensure balance of flavours (a good vindaloo is hot and sour and slightly sweet).
Thank you @ilovespicemama and @perthstudiopotters
The festival of IOTA21: Indian Ocean Craft Triennial was supported by Lotterywest.
