Goan Lamb Vindaloo

Goan Lamb Vindaloo is a Portuguese-influenced lamb curry where lamb is cooked in a fiery red, spicy and tangy vindaloo sauce. Make it in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or an instant pot using my easy recipe (gluten-free).

You can also try my other vindaloo variations here – Aloo Vindaloo, Chicken Vindaloo, and Shrimp Vindaloo.

Jump to:

• About Goan Lamb Vindaloo
• Ingredients
• How To Make Lamb Vindaloo
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Goan Lamb Vindaloo

Goan Lamb Vindaloo is a fiery red Indian curry where tender lamb pieces are cooked in a spicy and tangy vindaloo sauce. It is quite popular in Goan households and you will also find it on the menu of all Goan-style restaurants.

Vindaloo curry has a Portuguese influence and this curry was traditionally made using pork. Over time, the local people experimented with making it with different kinds of meat and even veggies and this lamb vindaloo is also one of the variations.

This Goan lamb curry gets its unique taste and flavor from the vindaloo paste, which is freshly made with a few simple ingredients such as dry red chilies, ginger, garlic, vinegar, tamarind, and a few spices.

Lamb Vindaloo is best served with a Goan bread poi or steamed rice. It also tastes great with lachha paratha, ghee roast dosa, or simple dinner rolls.

This lamb vindaloo recipe can be made in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or in an instant pot. I am sharing both methods in the post below, choose the one that suits you the best.

Ingredients

Vindaloo Paste

To make the flavorful paste, you will need an array of ingredients such as Kashmiri dry red chilies, whole coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garlic, fresh ginger, white vinegar and tamarind paste.

I prefer to use Kashmiri dry red chillies, as they add a beautiful red color without making it too spicy. You can use any other dry red chilies, but adjust the quantity depending upon its spiciness.

Traditionally, toddy vinegar was used to make the paste but if it’s not available you can use regular white vinegar as I did.

For The Curry

To make the curry, you will need vegetable oil, onions, bone-in lamb (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces), tomato puree, salt, turmeric powder, and white granulated sugar.

I like to use bone-in lamb pieces for this recipe as the bones release their flavor and add a lot of flavor to the curry making it more delicious.

If you are not a bone-in lamb person, then you can boneless lamb pieces too.

I will recommend you use canned tomato puree instead of homemade one for better taste and flavor. You can replace it with canned tomato paste too.

You can replace lamb with goat mutton too.

How To Make Lamb Vindaloo

Make The Vindaloo Paste

Add

• 10-12 whole Kashmiri red chilies (stalks removed)
• 2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 3-4 cloves
• 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 2-3 whole green cardamoms
• 8-10 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

to a skillet.

Dry roast on medium heat until fragrant and slightly browned (3-4 minutes). Keep stirring while roasting.

Once the spices are roasted, remove the skillet from the heat and let the spices cool down completely.

Add the roasted spices to a high-speed blender along with a 1-inch piece of ginger (chopped), 8-10 garlic cloves (peeled), 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 and ½ tablespoon tamarind paste, and ½ cup of water and blend to make a smooth paste. 

Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while making the paste.

Vindaloo masala paste is ready. Set it aside.

Make Lamb Vindaloo Curry

In An Instant Pot

Press SAUTE button on the instant pot.

Add 6 tablespoon oil to the pot.

When the oil is hot, add 2 cups of chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown in color (10-12 minutes), stirring frequently.

Add 2 pounds (1kg) of bone-in lamb (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) to the pot and fry for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.

Add 1 cup of canned tomato puree (or ½ cup tomato paste) and the vindaloo masala paste that we made earlier to the pot and mix well.

Now add 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, and 1 cup of water to the pot and stir gently.

Cover the instant pot with the lid.

Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 30 minutes at high pressure.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.

Add ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar to the pot and mix well. The curry is ready to serve.

In A Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker

Follow the steps until adding water in a 4-liter pressure cooker over medium-high heat.

Close the lid and cook for one whistle over medium-high heat.

Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid.

Add ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar to the pot and mix well. The curry is ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Lamb Vindaloo tastes great with Goan bread poi or steamed rice. It can be served with pav, white bread, or dinner rolls as well.

You can also try it with phulka, tawa paratha, lachha paratha, neer dosa, or ghee roast dosa.

Storage Suggestions

Lamb Vindaloo can be stored in an air-tight container for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan or microwave until hot before serving.

It is also freezer friendly. Once it cools down completely, store it in a freezer-safe container or zip-lock bag and freeze for about a month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for a few hours and reheat until nice and hot.

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