Indian Shrimp Vindaloo

The basic recipe for "Vindaloo" came to the Indians from the Portuguese, who colonized a part of western India over 400 years ago. The Portuguese used pork that was marinated in wine and garlic, but generally only Indian Christians eat pork, so over time, shrimp, fish and chicken became popular as substitutes for the pork, and many spices were added, which is very common in Indian cuisine. This is a spicy hot curry, but naturally you can lower the heat by using fewer chili flakes, although chili flakes can vary in heat level. "Vindaloo" is the Indian rendering, from the Konkani language of southwestern India,* of Portguese "vinha d'alhos" (wine and garlic).

Ingredients:

1 pound large (31/35) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil (NOT extra virgin olive oil)
2 to 3 tablespoons red chili flakes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the chopped onion. Saute about a minute, then add the garlic and ginger. Saute until the onion begins to soften. Add the chili flakes, the red wine vinegar, the ground cumin, the cinnamon, the ground cloves, the nutmeg, the ground coriander, the turmeric, the paprika, the salt and the brown sugar. Stir well and cook the mixture for about one minute. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until opaque, turning the shrimp once during cooking to coat them with the spice mixture (overcooking shrimp can make them tough). Serve with white rice.

* In and around the state of Goa, where the Indian version of this dish originated.

WORD HISTORY:
Bale-This word, related to "ball" (round object), goes back to Indo European "bhel," which had the notion of "swell, bloat out, to bulge." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "balluz," which meant, "swollen or bloated object;" thus later actually, "round object." This was borrowed into Latin from Lombardic, an old Germanic dialect, as "balla" ("ball, round object"), which was taken into Latin-based Old French as "balle," with the same meaning, but also, "material(s) rolled into a rounded object;" thus, "package, bundle." This was borrowed by Flemish as "baal," and English borrowed the word in the early 1300s, with likely reinforcement from both French and Dutch.