Fiery Vindaloo Chili

By Kay Chun

Updated February 9, 2026

Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Ready In
2¼ hr
Rating
4(70)
Comments
Read comments

Vindaloo, a popular Indian curry layered with heady spices, vinegar and aromatics, is the inspiration behind this vibrant beef chili. Dried chiles and whole spices are lightly toasted then puréed with garlic, ginger and vinegar to create a vindaloo paste that’s both spicy and tangy. (Whole spices yield the best flavor, but using ground will still achieve great results.) Sour cream and avocado — classic chili toppings — finish the dish with creamy texture and cooling contrast to balance the richly spiced sauce. Dried Kashmiri chiles can be found in Indian markets or online and give the most authentic flavor, but dried New Mexico and guajillo chiles are good alternatives. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 8 dried Kashmiri chiles (or 3 stemmed and seeded dried New Mexico or guajillo chiles) 

  • 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon)

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or 1 teaspoon ground cumin)

  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns (or ½ teaspoon ground black pepper)

  • 7 green cardamom pods, pods cracked open, seeds reserved (about ¼ teaspoon seeds or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom)

  • 3 whole cloves (or a few pinches of ground cloves)

  • 8 garlic cloves

  • 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger

  • ¼ cup distilled white vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon turbinado or light brown sugar

  • 1 medium white onion, half coarsely chopped and half finely chopped 

  • 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • Salt and pepper

  • 4 tablespoons safflower or canola oil, divided

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 small tomato, cut into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

  • 1 bird’s-eye chile (optional), thinly sliced

  • Optional toppings (chopped cilantro, chopped onion, cubed avocado and sour cream), for serving

  • Cooked basmati rice, crusty bread or naan

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

21 grams carbs; 218 milligrams cholesterol; 672 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 33 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams fiber; 1270 milligrams sodium; 76 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small skillet, combine dried chiles, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom seeds and cloves over medium-low. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using ground spices, toast just the dried chiles.) Transfer to a blender. 

  2. Step 2

    Add garlic, ginger, vinegar, sugar and coarsely chopped onion to the blender and purée until smooth. Scrape the chile paste into a large bowl. Add meat, season with salt and pepper and mix to evenly coat.

  3. Step 3

    In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add the finely chopped onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 2 minutes. Add chopped tomato, season with salt and pepper and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift up any browned bits, until tomato has broken down, liquid has evaporated and mixture has thickened, 5 minutes. 

  4. Step 4

    Add the meat mixture, bird’s-eye chile (if using) and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and mix until well combined. Stir in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and chili is slightly thickened, 1 ½ hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Divide chili among bowls and finish with any of the optional toppings. Serve with rice or bread on the side.

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    Ratings

    4 out of 5
    70 user ratings
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    Comments

    Helga do Rosario Gomes

    @Betsy Marks you don’t need a lot of it even a tiny piece is fine and skip the cardamom. The main flavor to accentuate is garlic as Vindalho originated from Portugal where it’s called Carne de vinha d'alhos ("meat in wine and garlic"). It’s not an aromatic dish like many North Indian dishes. It was brought to Goa by Portuguese sailors and modified to make it spicier to preserve it better. We rarely use cardamon in our food except in desserts where it’s quite predominant.

    Betsy Marks

    That cinnamon stick is going to blendable? I feel like there will be splinters in the mix. Tell me I’m wrong

    Cait

    If I were to use powdered Kashmiri chili, how much should I sub for the whole chilis?

    Karen

    This sauce goes well with plant based meat substitutes. I liked beans and tempeh combo for texture, and added a beef bouillon cube in case. Don’t judge please: i am heart healthy, not ethical vegan. Sauce is medium hot not fiery. Worth the depth of flavor of whole spices but powder or paste is still a nice variant on southwest standard chili, a staple with us.

    EJ

    I just noticed that 1 small tomato chopped should be a cup? That sounds….impossible.

    Trent

    I had a box of MDH Kashmiri Mirch that I used about 3 tsp (left out the birds eye chili since I didn't have it) and it was a good solid but not overpowering heat.

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