Indian Slaw

Indian slaw. A big mess of creamy wonderful. Cabbage. Jalapeno. Onion. Tangy spiced yoghurt mayonnaise dressing. Nothing not to like.

Except this isn’t Indian. Not authentic. Not even a little.

Indian-ish

I’ve been thinking lately. There’s this class of recipes. Doesn’t quite fit. Not Indian. Not fusion. Indian inspired.

Indian flavours mixed in where they make sense. Almost Indian? Kind of Indian? Indianesque?

Indian-ish. That describes it best. That’s what I should call this recipe. Indian-ish slaw. Except nobody would find it.

I didn’t come up with it. But I can’t come up with anything better. So I’m jumping on the bandwagon.

I put nine solid seconds into coming up with a better name. Before I gave up.

Indian-ish has been popping up on glebekitchen for a while. Not new. Just took me a while to see it. Fell into it. Subconsciously. And I’m so happy I did.

Tandoori BBQ shrimp . Definitely Indian-ish. Indian spiced wings . Pretty sure they qualify. Lamb keema papadum ? That’s a riff on a tostada when you think about it. There are others. Poke around a bit. You’ll see.

I’m liking it though. Now that I’m thinking about it. It’s a fun concept. And I have lots of ideas.

This recipe is a side. But it’s also a key ingredient in the next dish I’m doing. That one’s already mostly written. Expect it soon.

Things that go with tandoori chicken

I love tandoori chicken. Addicted to it. Have some cooking as I type. It’s my kryptonite. My weakness. One of many to be sure. But still…

Tandoori chicken. Over charcoal. Something I want to share. With friends. A tandoori chicken cookout. Under the stars. The quintessentially backyard BBQ.

Meat over fire. Potato salad. Corn on the cob. Slaw. See where I am going with this? Sides are a bit of a challenge. Dal and rice aren’t really cookout friendly.

I could do buttered chapatis and kachumber salad. That works. That’s what my parents served. Indian. Through and through. Near and dear to my heart.

But I want to do this more than once. So I need options. To mix things up. Variety. Don’t want to bore my guests.

I have a killer slaw recipe. Unbeatable. I think anyway. But it’s vinegar based. Tart and sweet and wonderful. But not right with tandoori chicken. Not right with anything Indian.

I needed to come up with something else. Something that works. For tandoori chicken. For anything tandoori. And that something is Indian slaw.

Indian slaw is Indian inspired

Look at the ingredients. Some Indian. Some not so Indian. But it works. With tandoori. Which is the whole point.

Mayonnaise doesn’t come up a lot in traditional Indian. Super useful when you are cooking Indian-ish though.

It’s a secret weapon at funky Indian restaurants. Seriously. Took me forever to figure that out.

But now I’m watching for it. I’m seeing it more and more. That amazing creamy dip at your local nobody can figure out? Try adding a little mayo.

Mustard powder is another oddball. Mustard seed is huge in Indian. But mustard powder? Not so much.

It’s a staple for coleslaw dressing though. Coleslaw and mustard powder are soulmates in my kitchen. So in it goes. And it matters. Makes a difference.

Jalapenos aren’t particularly authentic either. I like a little green pepper in my coleslaw. Jalapeno is like green pepper. Only better. So I couldn’t resist. And in case you’re wondering. Jwala chilies are my go to fresh green chilies for Indian. They suck here. Don’t try it. Trust me.

Let your Indian slaw rest for maximum flavour

Slaw is funny. And Indian slaw is no different. Cabbage needs time. It needs to soften. Wilt a bit.

This isn’t a bang it together and eat recipe. There’s a lead time. And it’s pretty important.

Toss the dressing with the cabbage. And you get cabbage with dressing.

Wait four hours. You get slaw.

Wait a day. You get really good slaw.

Your call. I like really good slaw. So I plan ahead.

Ready for your Indian backyard BBQ?

There’s something primal about a backyard BBQ. Fundamentally satisfying. It’s just good living.

Friends. Food. Fire. How can you go wrong?

Tandoori chicken makes great anchor. It’s delicious. It’s easy to make.

And it’s skinless. So you can load your barbecue with tons of chicken. No need to let the fire department know ahead of time.

I don’t have an Indian potato salad. Not yet. But I do have gunpowder potatoes . Grilled potato goodness. Definitely another one to add to the Indian-ish list.

And Indian slaw. To round things out. A little crunch. A perfect counterpoint to the chicken.

Now all I need is a riff on corn on the cob. Cobs doused in butter and dusted with salt and Kashmiri chili powder. That will do for now. Might try a little chaat masala next time. I’ll let you know.

Think about tandoori chicken with Indian slaw next time you’re planning a cookout. It’s fun food. And food should always be fun.

Indian slaw

Ingredients

The coleslaw dressing

• 1/2 cup full fat yoghurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise I really like Hellmans
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper coarse grind
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder I use Keens
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice from a lemon, not a bottle
• 1 tbsp milk (optional) to thin if your yoghurt is really thick
• 1 tsp sugar – you can use a bit more if you like sweet but don’t go crazy

Indian slaw

• 1 small green cabbage sliced as thinly as you can
• 1/2 large spanish onion sliced as thinly as you can
• 2 carrots shredded (I use a cheese grater)
• 2 large jalapenos seeded and julienned
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt – or a little more to taste. 2 tsp table salt should be lots
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• a big handful of cilantro stems and leaves, finely chopped
• all the dressing from above

Instructions

Make the coleslaw dressing

• Combine all the coleslaw dressing ingredients except the milk.
• Stir to thoroughly combine. If it looks really thick add a bit of milk to thin it out. You want thick but within reason. Taste. You might like a little more lemon. Up to you.

Make the Indian slaw

• Prep your vegetables. Core and thinly slice the cabbage. Slice the onion. Julienne the jalapeno. Shred your carrots. Chop the cilantro.
• Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. A really large bowl. Don’t think I tossed this slaw in the bowl I show. I used the biggest bowl I own. It makes things way easier. Trust me on this one.
• Sprinkle the salt and oil over the vegetables. Stir to combine. Good quality restaurant tongs are a real help here.
• Add the dressing and the cilantro. Toss to fully coat the vegetables with the dressing. If it’s really hard to do add a bit more milk next time.
• Let rest in the fridge for four hours before serving. Overnight is even better.

Nutrition

Indian slaw

Ingredients

The coleslaw dressing

• 1/2 cup full fat yoghurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise I really like Hellmans
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper coarse grind
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder I use Keens
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice from a lemon, not a bottle
• 1 tbsp milk (optional) to thin if your yoghurt is really thick
• 1 tsp sugar - you can use a bit more if you like sweet but don’t go crazy

Indian slaw

• 1 small green cabbage sliced as thinly as you can
• 1/2 large spanish onion sliced as thinly as you can
• 2 carrots shredded (I use a cheese grater)
• 2 large jalapenos seeded and julienned
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt - or a little more to taste. 2 tsp table salt should be lots
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• a big handful of cilantro stems and leaves, finely chopped
• all the dressing from above

Instructions

Make the coleslaw dressing

• Combine all the coleslaw dressing ingredients except the milk.
• Stir to thoroughly combine. If it looks really thick add a bit of milk to thin it out. You want thick but within reason. Taste. You might like a little more lemon. Up to you.

Make the Indian slaw

• Prep your vegetables. Core and thinly slice the cabbage. Slice the onion. Julienne the jalapeno. Shred your carrots. Chop the cilantro.
• Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. A really large bowl. Don’t think I tossed this slaw in the bowl I show. I used the biggest bowl I own. It makes things way easier. Trust me on this one.
• Sprinkle the salt and oil over the vegetables. Stir to combine. Good quality restaurant tongs are a real help here.
• Add the dressing and the cilantro. Toss to fully coat the vegetables with the dressing. If it’s really hard to do add a bit more milk next time.
• Let rest in the fridge for four hours before serving. Overnight is even better.

Nutrition

Every now and then I do a post just for me. So I don’t forget. This is one of those times. Pulled pork vindaloo. Just because I love it.

It’s not mainstream. Not yet. But it could be. Should be I think. If you like vindaloo. And you like pulled pork. Then this one is for you too.

Pulled pork vindaloo is not authentic Indian

This is not some sort of new curry. It doesn’t go with rice. I don’t want to see this on my plate with dal.

It’s not really Indian at all. There’s no epic and storied history of pulled pork vindaloo food trucks in India. That I know about anyway.

This is Indian-ish. Sort of Indian. Not traditional. Pushes things into the mainstream. Brings all those incredible flavours home.

The flavours are Indian inspired. The execution is not. Pulled pork on a bun. Not chapatis. Not naan.

On a bun. Bread. Vindaloo pulled pork. Lots of it. A drizzle of sauce. Slaw for crunch. That’s what this one is all about.

Like a funky pav. East meets west. In a crazy tasty smash-up of flavour. A head on collision of delicious.

Time to give Indian food the glory it deserves

I’ve been ranting about formula Indian for a long time. I won’t bore you with it again.

Except to point out that just about every Indian restaurant serves the same stuff. Which makes no sense that I can see.

Indian food is incredibly diverse. A billion people. Eating the same 20 dishes. How does that make any sense?

That’s changing. The food scene is moving on. It’s finally starting.

It’s taken forever. But I think it’s finally becoming a thing. Funky restaurants are innovating. There’s a street food movement going on.

People are starting to wake up. To realize there is more to Indian cuisine than the same 20 dishes you see on every menu everywhere.

Chefs are starting to think. And do. All over the world.

I am thrilled. Seriously. Unbelievably excited. So I’m trying to do my little bit to help it along. Indian-ish. Expect more of it here. And hopefully at a restaurant near you.

A gentle braise for meltingly tender pork

This is slow food. Gentle heat. A long braise. Weekend cooking. For when you are just hanging out. When you have a few hours to kill. And want to kill it making something wonderful.

I like to run the oven at around 300F or so for this. Kind of like making BBQ.

Without the smoke. And with a whole bunch of kashmiri chili and garlic and ginger and spice. In a sealed pot. With liquid.

OK – the only thing this has to with BBQ is the temperature. And in fact it’s a little hotter than I run my smoker for pulled pork.

But you get the idea. You want to keep things gentle. To get that pulled pork mouthfeel. The magic.

Internal temperature is the key to success every time

I’m a huge fan of instant read thermometers. Huge. Use one and you are cooking with science. Don’t use one? That’s called guessing.

Random. Hope for the best. Poke the meat with your finger and decide. I’m not that good. So I use a thermometer.

It serves me well. I use it every day. And it’s key for pulled pork vindaloo.

Roast pork shoulder is great around 140F. Up to 150F maybe. Relatively high heat. Crispy on the outside. Juicy on the inside. Wonderful stuff.

Push it much past that and it all goes sideways. Dry. Tough. Not good. Unless you cook it low and slow. That’s the magic of the braise.

Cuts like pork shoulder are loaded with connective tissue. Cook that connective tissue slowly and you get gelatin. Gelatin has incredible mouthfeel.

Anyone that knows real BBQ knows this. That’s just how it works. For BBQ. And for this pulled pork vindaloo.

You can look into it. Learn a little food science. Or you can just go with it. Know that it works. And enjoy.

The magic number for pulled pork vindaloo is 200F. May sound crazy. But it’s true.

Pulled pork vindaloo is not run of the mill vindaloo

This is not a curry. I want to be clear. Not a curry. It’s pulled pork. With Goan flavours. Indian-ish. Not Indian.

So don’t make this and tell me it’s not vindaloo. I’m telling you. It’s not vindaloo. It’s vindaloo-ish. And that’s the beautiful thing here.

It has all the hallmark flavours of a classic vindaloo. Pork. Vinegar. Chilies. Garlic. Ginger. Spice.

But it also has sugar. And tamarind. And curry leaves. The vinegar is cider based. The sauce has this tangy, sweet and sour and tomato thing going on. Think spicy Indian BBQ sauce.

Which makes perfect sense to me. Remember. This is pulled pork vindaloo. Indian-ish.

Indian-ish slaw for the win

When I think pulled pork I think 3 things.

Pork – well sauced pork. Lots of that going on here.

Bun – I’m going against the rules. I like brioche. Buttered brioche even. Purists will not be amused. But I’m making vindaloo pulled pork. So I’m taking liberties left and right.

Slaw – for me a pulled pork sandwich has to have slaw. For texture. Crunch. But more importantly a fresh counterfoil against rich, spicy pork.

But not just any slaw. It has to fit. Indian-ish pulled pork needs Indian-ish slaw . A little creamy. A little spicy. Just the right crunch.

Vindaloo doesn’t mean wine and potatoes

That’s probably the silliest heading I’ve written so far. Humour me a bit.

There are some interesting ideas out there on what vindaloo is about. What it’s supposed to be.

The one I hear the most is wine and potatoes. That makes for amazing European stews. But not a great vindaloo.

The French word vin somehow becomes Indian. So that’s the wine. And aloo is potato in Hindi so aloo must mean potato here too. Except it doesn’t. Not a bad theory I guess. But wrong nonetheless.

Vindaloo has its origins in Goa. And its roots came with the Portuguese. Vindaloo is an evolution of a Portuguese dish called carne de vinha d’alhos.

That’s hard enough to write fighting a spell checker. Imagine how well it went over in India in the 15th century. Vinha what? D’alwho?

Vindaloo is way easier to say. So that’s what stuck I guess. Or evolved to.

If it’s not obvious – my tongue is firmly in my cheek. I have have no idea what happened 600 years ago. Just having fun with a mental image.

Carne de vinha d’alhos translated is meat marinated in wine vinegar and garlic. No potatoes. No wine.

Fun fact. The Portuguese also brought chilies to India. Thank you. We all owe you large.

Vindaloo doesn’t need to be stupid hot

Somewhere along the way vindaloo became synonymous with crazy spicy. Screaming hot. Melt your face off territory.

That’s a western perception. Propagated by restaurants. The real deal is balanced. Nicely spiced. And so is this pulled pork vindaloo.

This one is all about flavour. Tasty. That’s all I care about. Tasty.

You can make it spicier. A little extra hot chili powder will do it. A bit of naga pickle would be better I bet.

But I’d think about just making it as is. It’s Indian-ish pulled pork. Hellfire not required.

But as always make what works for you. What makes you happy. I’m here to try to get you into the kitchen. Not to tell you what you like. Well, not much anyway.

Pulled pork vindaloo is fun food

This is party food. Fun food. Perfect for feeding a hungry crowd. Easy to make ahead.

And a little different. Not Indian. A little unexpected. Familiar. Funky. And really, really tasty.

Join the revolution. Help make it happen. Try pulled pork vindaloo. I’m pretty sure you won’t regret it.

Pulled pork vindaloo

Ingredients

The spice mix

• 2 tbsp kashmiri chili powder Kashmiri chili powder is mild. Don’t substitute hot chili powder.
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp amchoor powder (optional but a nice addition)
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt – you may need to a bit more at the end to taste

The vindaloo pulled pork

• 3 tbsp neutral oil canola or vegetable
• 3 lb pork shoulder
• 1 1/2 cups shallots thinly sliced
• 1 3 inch cassia bark
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 10 curry leaves fresh (or frozen) but never dried – optional but tasty
• 1/4 cup garlic ginger paste make your own. Please. Pretty please. There’s a link in the notes…
• 3 tbsp tomato paste diluted in enough water to get to the texture of a thick passata.
• 3 tbsp cider vinegar I know it isn’t traditional. Roll with it.
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp tamarind paste not concentrate. Concentrate is – well – too concentrated.
• water or no sodium chicken stock to make the liquid in the pot come up around halfway up the way up the pork.

Instructions

Do your prep

• Make your spice mix. Combine the Kashmiri chili powder, coriander, amchoor, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Slice your shallots. Get the whole spices ready. Dilute the tomato paste with water.
• Preheat your oven to 300F.

Brown the pork

• Heat the oil in a dutch oven or heavy, oven safe pot with lid over medium heat. You want something that’s big enough to fit the pork but not so large the pork gets lost in it.
• When the oil starts to shimmer add the pork (all of it in one piece) and brown on all sides. Regulate the heat so you get good browning but not so hot things burn. The short sides will be much harder than the two opposing large sides. Don’t kill yourself. Just do the best you can. It will all work out in the end.
• When you have browned the pork, remove it from the pot and set aside. Look at how much fat is in the pan. The pork will likely have thrown some fat and spatter will have taken some from the pot and spread it out on your stove (sorry about that). Don’t clean it up just yet. There’s a little bit more spatter to come. You want 3-4 Tbsp total liquid fat (oil or rendered pork fat) in the pot so add or remove as required.

Get the braise ready

• Reduce the heat to medium low.
• Add the cassia bark, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cook for about 30-45 seconds. You should see little bubbles forming around the whole spices.
• Add the shallots. Once the shallots start to soften scrape up any of the fond that will should have formed when you browned the pork. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions start to brown. Brown is not light tan. You want some colour here. This should take 5-7 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic ginger paste. Cook until the splattering stops. The messy part is now done. It’s safe to clean your stove.
• Add the spice mix. Stir. This is called blooming spices and it’s where some serious food magic happens. If your pot looks dry add a splash of neutral oil. You want this to cook out but don’t want spices sticking or burning. Cook the onion spice mixture for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
• Stir in the cider vinegar, brown sugar and tamarind.
• Return the pork to the pot. Add enough water or chicken stock to come about halfway up the pork. Chicken bouillon cubes are not chicken stock.
• Bring to a gentle simmer.

Braise the pork

• Cover the pot and place in a 300F oven.
• After 45 minutes remove the pot from the oven, flip the pork (good restaurant tongs are worth their weight in gold), cover and return to the oven.
• You are going for an internal temperature around 200F. This will take somewhere around. 90 minutes to 2 hours. I can’t tell you how long exactly. Depends on the piece of meat. Depends on the precise temperature of your oven (and my oven). But you should start checking at around the one hour mark.
• Once you hit 200F you should be able to poke the meat and feel it give. It should shred pretty easily when you tug at it with your tongs.
• Remove the pork from the pot. Tent with foil and set aside. You will want it to come down to about 140F before you shred. Plan on 20-30 minutes for that.
• Defat the sauce. Let the sauce sit for a few minutes. You should see the rendered fat starting to pool. Pork shoulder is a fatty cut and you need to remove some of it. Saying that kills me because that fat is loaded with oil soluble flavour compounds extracted from the spices. But it’s just way too oily if you skip this step.
• When you have it to the texture you want taste it. If it needs salt add a bit. Stir. Taste again. Creep up on the right salt level. Keep in mind slightly under salted is always way better than over salted.

Finish it off

• What’s in your pot right now is Indian-ish barbecue sauce. A little sweet. A little tart. And a little spicy. Delightfully porky. You want it the consistency of thin barbecue sauce. It might already be there. Or you might need to reduce it a bit over medium heat while the pork rests. Your call. Think coat a spoon consistency. Think cream.
• When the pork has cooled to 140F or thereabouts shred it. Two forks. Bear claws. Heat proof gloves. Whatever works for you. Just get it shredded.
• Return the shredded pork to the sauce. Stir to combine. Taste. Smile. Be happy.

Make the sandwiches

• Vindaloo pulled pork is great on a toasted brioche bun with Indian slaw. It’s completely over the top on a toasted, buttered brioche bun with Indian slaw.
• Toast the buns. Butter the top (optional but tasty). Have the Indian slaw ready. Spoon out a good layer of pulled pork on the lower half of the bun. Top with slaw and the brioche crown. Eat with your hands. Enjoy.

Nutrition