Bison Vindaloo

The dish known as vindaloo can have so may variations, it’s difficult to know what you’ll get when you order it for the first time in a restaurant. What most diners know is the type served in many English-style pubs: ripping hot and often with little real flavour. I like to think this is a more authentic Indian version in that it has a bit of heat (add more chilies if you like it really hot) and a real depth of flavour thanks to the cane vinegar, ghee and spices, never mind the bison.

My Toronto friends, Dave and Chris, have been waiting quite a while for me to write a bison vindaloo recipe so, this one’s for them.

Time: 90 minutes (plus overnight marinating)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

½ cup cane vinegar
6 garlic cloves
4 dried whole red chilies
1 tablespoon fresh ginger – roughly chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon xylitol (or white sugar)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound stewing bison cubes
2 tablespoons ghee
1 large onion – chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped

 

Preparation:

Place the vinegar, garlic, chilies, ginger, paprika, xylitol, cumin, mustard, cloves and cinnamon in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Place the bison in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Toss and cover then, refrigerate overnight.

Place a deep frying pan on medium heat and add the ghee. When the ghee is hot, add the bison and marinade, stirring occasionally for five minutes.

Stir in the onion, tomato paste and salt.

Reduce heat to low and cook covered for one hour. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens to a gravy-like consistency.

Remove from heat and serve topped with cilantro.

Get the PDF and nutrition info