I don’t eat pork that often but this curry is the only way I like to eat it! Growing up, my parents never cooked pork at home and we had it occasionally only at our friends’ homes or when we visited Kerala and my grandma made it. My grandma’s pork vindaloo was the best tasting curry that I ever had. And this recipe I have today for you is just that. I was fortunate enough to eat this finger-licking curry this summer at my paternal uncle’s house cooked by my kind and lovely aunt. And since such occasions are pretty rare, I was smart enough to watch her make it and note down the recipe! 
So here it is – Pork Vindaloo, my grandma style! My children loved it so much that they made me make this curry as soon as we were back home 🙂 I made it in the Instant Pot while my aunt had cooked it in the regular pressure cooker. Both versions were equally fabulous!
A couple things to note here – the taste of this curry depends a lot on the cut of meat you use. Pork Belly is the best to use since the fat just adds a lot of flavor to the curry. Also, using a pressure cooker – either manual or instant pot cuts down the cooking time considerably plus gives a nice texture to the gravy. My grandma’s recipe does not use mustard which is typically used in all ‘vindaloo’ curries but instead has fennel seeds which give it an unique flavor. This recipe does use vinegar to impart the acidity. Please do try this recipe once – I can bet you will love it!
I also made a video for this recipe. Check it out :
- 2 lbs (about 1 kg) pork (mix of belly and loin), washed and cut into small 1 inch cubes (retain the fat)
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp black pepper corns
- 2 by 2 inch fresh ginger root , peeled
- 20 pearl onions or 1 medium size red onion, roughly chopped
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3-4 green (serrano) chillies (optional)
- 2 tsp crushed red chilli pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 / 2 cup thinly sliced coconut pieces (I use frozen )
- 1 cup water
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into large 1 inch cubes (omit for paleo version or use taro root instead)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- extra coconut oil to drizzle on top
- In a small pan, toast the fennel seeds and the black pepper corns for 1-2 mins on low heat until you get the aroma. Turn heat off.
- In a food processor, blend the toasted fennel seeds, black pepper corns, the onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies (if adding) together to get a coarse paste.
- In the insert pot of the Instant Pot, add this mixture to the pork and add the sea salt. Add crushed red chilli pepper, turmeric, kashmiri chilli powder and curry leaves and the coconut oil. Then add the coconut chips (pieces). Add one cup water and the cubed potatoes or taro root pieces(if adding). Mix everything well and then close the lid of the instant pot. Turn vent to sealing position and press 'pressure cook' and set time to 10 mins.
- Let pressure release naturally and then Open the lid and add the apple cider vinegar. Check for salt and add more if needed. Drizzle extra coconut oil on top before serving!
- Follow all the steps as above and cook for 4 whistles on medium heat. Turn heat off and let sit for 5 mins before opening and then add the vinegar and extra coconut oil.
