Vindaloo Paste substitute

Substitutes for Vindaloo Paste with ratios

1. 2Homemade Goan vindaloo paste

   Close match

   6 dried Kashmiri chillies (soaked 20 min) + 6 garlic cloves + 1-inch ginger + 3 tbsp cider vinegar + 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp coriander + ½ tsp black pepper + 4 cloves + 1-inch cinnamon + ½ tsp turmeric + 1 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt, blended; makes about ½ cup, use 1:1

   The real thing, ground fresh, which is genuinely a ten-minute job with a blender.

   What changes

   Best for

   pork vindaloo, the traditional version, the best-tasting result of anything on this list, controlling the heat exactly, marinating meat overnight before cooking

   This is much better than a jar and worth the effort, because jarred pastes are diluted with oil, water and thickener and taste flat by comparison. Kashmiri chillies give a deep red colour with moderate heat; if you want a properly fierce vindaloo, swap two of them for hot dried chillies rather than adding more Kashmiri. Soaking the chillies is what lets them blend smooth, so do not skip it. Traditionally the meat is marinated in the paste overnight, and doing so makes an obvious difference to how deep the flavour goes.

2. 3Tikka masala paste plus vinegar, cayenne and cloves

   Taste and texture differ

   Per 2 tbsp vindaloo paste: 2 tbsp tikka masala paste + 1 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar + 1 tsp cayenne + ¼ tsp ground cloves

   The mildest and most widely stocked curry paste, pushed hotter and sourer.

   What changes

   Best for

   when tikka paste is the only jar in the cupboard, chicken vindaloo, a milder vindaloo for people who cannot take the heat, vegetable and lentil versions

   It will taste good, and it will also taste noticeably rounder and sweeter than a real vindaloo, because tikka paste is built on tomato, paprika and often coconut or almond, all of which soften the dish. Expect an orange-red, slightly creamy-tasting curry rather than a thin, sharp, mahogany one. The vinegar and cloves do most of the correcting; if you have tamarind paste, half a teaspoon adds the sour-fruity depth vindaloo has and tikka paste does not.

3. 4Rogan josh, balti or jalfrezi paste plus vinegar and extra chilli

   Different taste

   Per 2 tbsp vindaloo paste: 2 tbsp of any of these pastes + 1 tbsp vinegar + 1 tsp cayenne

   Any of the mid-strength British-Indian curry pastes, adjusted the same way.

   What changes

   Best for

   using up whatever jar is open, lamb and pork, vegetable curries, when you want less heat than a true vindaloo

   All three work on the same principle and none will embarrass you. Rogan josh paste brings more clove, cardamom and fennel, so the result tastes warmer and more Kashmiri; balti paste is closer to Madras with extra fenugreek leaf, which is pleasant; jalfrezi paste often includes green pepper and tomato and tastes fresher and tangier already, so you can cut the added vinegar to 2 teaspoons. All are milder than vindaloo, so the cayenne matters in every case.

4. 5Curry powder plus garlic, vinegar and cayenne (dry-pantry build)

   Taste and texture differ

   Per 2 tbsp vindaloo paste: 1 tbsp curry powder + 3 crushed garlic cloves + 1 tsp grated ginger + 1 ½ tbsp cider vinegar + 1 tsp cayenne + ¼ tsp ground cloves + ½ tsp sugar + 1 tbsp oil, mashed to a paste

   Vindaloo assembled from dry spices when there is no paste of any kind in the house.

   What changes

   Best for

   cooking with a basic spice rack, chicken, pork or potato vindaloo, cooks who do not want to buy a jar, adjusting the heat freely

   A genuinely respectable curry, because the pillars of vindaloo, garlic, chilli, vinegar and warm spice, are all there. What is missing is the depth that comes from whole dried chillies ground into the paste: a curry powder base tastes brighter and thinner, with more turmeric and fenugreek than a Goan blend would ever have. Frying the paste in oil for two minutes before the meat goes in makes a big difference; done raw it tastes dusty and the vinegar stays harsh.

5. 6Harissa plus vinegar and garam masala

   Different taste

   Per 2 tbsp vindaloo paste: 1 ½ tbsp harissa + 1 tbsp cider vinegar + 1 tsp garam masala + 2 crushed garlic cloves

   The least-bad non-Indian option, chosen because it is a chilli-garlic paste with real heat.

   What changes

   Best for

   emergencies, lamb, which suits harissa well, vegetable and chickpea curries, cooks with a North African pantry

   Be honest with yourself here: harissa is a very good paste that will make a hot, garlicky, red stew, but caraway and cumin dominate it and the result tastes Tunisian, not Goan. The garam masala pulls it toward India and the vinegar toward vindaloo, and with a squeeze of lime and some fresh coriander it holds together as a dish in its own right. Harissa varies enormously in heat by brand, so taste it first before deciding how much to use.