Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Lamb Vindaloo
367 kcal a serving, against 747 for the traditional version. That is 380 kcal off, or 51%, with 43.6g of protein. Serves 6. 240 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A huge pile of fatty lamb shoulder chunks, aggressively marinated in sharp vinegar and dried chillies. The meat is slow-cooked with fried onions in a terrifying amount of vegetable oil, until the fat renders out and pools heavily on the surface of the sauce.
What changed, and what each change costs
1200g of fatty lamb shoulder for 1200g of lean lamb
Lamb shoulder is glorious, but it carries massive amounts of fat that melt straight into your curry. Swapping to a lean cut drops the fat drastically while keeping exactly the same amount of meat in your bowl. You still get that deeply savoury flavour.
What it costs you. Lean meat dries out quickly if you rush it. You absolutely lose that rich, gelatinous texture that a fatty shoulder brings to a slow-cooked sauce, and you have to be careful with your simmering times.
100g of vegetable oil down to just 15g
Traditional recipes use oil as a primary ingredient to fry the spices and carry the flavour. I use just enough to stop the onions from sticking to the frying pan. The fierce spices and the vinegar carry this dish perfectly well on their own.
What it costs you. You don't get that classic, vibrant red oil slick floating on top of your bowl. The resulting sauce is much tighter and clings entirely to the meat.
Adding 250g of beef stock and 30g of tomato puree
When you remove the vast quantities of fat, the pan gets incredibly dry during a braise. The beef stock provides the necessary liquid for the meat to simmer until tender, while a tiny bit of tomato puree helps thicken the sauce.
What it costs you. What you've got is a practical workaround. A completely traditional technique for a true Goan curry is a different dish and you know where to find it. The tomato slightly sweetens the harsh edges of the vinegar.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 747 | 367 |
| Protein | 35.4g | 43.6g |
| Fat | 61g | 14.5g |
| Saturated fat | 20.9g | 4.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.2g | 14.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.7g | 11.9g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. mustard, sulphites, celery.
The method is in the book
This vindaloo hits you with exactly the right balance of sharp vinegar and fierce chilli heat. It demands patience to braise the lean meat properly, but the reward is a massive portion of deeply flavoured lamb without the usual heavy grease. You get all the aggression of a Friday night takeaway, but you actually feel fine the next morning.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback