More Cowbell! Chicken Vindaloo

(Before I start let me just say that the formatting here is a hot mess and I can’t seem to fix it. I mean, it’s really messed up. If there is a missing picture in the middle, it may or may not be at the bottom of the post)

My friends over at the BookClub Cookbook have branched out into the world of herbs and spices! Their blends are inspired by books, television and songs hence Book Blends, Song Blends, and TV Blends.

They were so kind as to send me some samples to try out!

I was very excited to receive the box

The packaging is delightful!

One of my selections was Don’t Fear the Reaper–a blend featuring the Carolina Reaper pepper–widely considered to be the hottest pepper in all of the land.

Now, when I hear Don’t Fear the Reaper this is my first thought (and I’m sure it is also the same for some of you)!

The Reaper Pepper packs a punch. I tried a tiny bit and it was like instant heartburn. But it was good. I am not a fan of hot for hot’s sake–but this mix isn’t just spicy. It’s got a depth to it–a roundness. It takes a second for the reaper to kick in.

But what to do with something so spicy?

Go Indian, of course. Straight to the hottest of the curries–Vindaloo!

For my dish, I adapted a recipe from Complete Indian Cooking by Hamlyn (1998)

You can see a similar recipe HERE.

The most important component to this dish is the Vindaloo Masala, which is a spice blend. I made one to incorporate the Reaper:

1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/6 tsp Don’t Fear the Reaper Song Blend

(I know that 1/6 tsp is a stupid amount–but I was wary of the pepper’s heat)

Here is my finished chicken vindaloo:

I served it with store bought naan and a quick and easy raita (recipe at the end)

How was it?

Good! The sauce was a little thinner and oilier than I would have liked–I think that this would’ve been improved by thickening the sauce with a little slurry–maybe a little bit of tempered plain yogurt?

But the chicken was very tender and the flavor on the sauce was good–and surprisingly mild. The Reaper pepper in the vindaloo masala mellowed as it cooked.

So I guess you can say it needed more cowbell!

Go check out the Blend Bash Blog party to see what other bloggers made with their samples, and then buy your own. I know that they would make fabulous holiday gifts. They already come gift wrapped!

Quick and Easy Raita

Half cucumber grated/minced very fine–salted and drained

1 cup plain yogurt

juice 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp cumin seed

salt to taste

Combine all and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

One thought on “More Cowbell! Chicken Vindaloo”

I love me a good spice blend! A lot of times when I just don’t know what to cook, I just saute or braise the meat I have on hand (usually chicken) with some onion, garlic and one of my spice blends, then serve it over rice. I love spicy too, so thanks for letting us know about these new spices. The Vindaloo looks good.

Paris B. December 14, 201912:31 pm Reply

I love me a good spice blend! A lot of times when I just don’t know what to cook, I just saute or braise the meat I have on hand (usually chicken) with some onion, garlic and one of my spice blends, then serve it over rice. I love spicy too, so thanks for letting us know about these new spices. The Vindaloo looks good.