Baiki Vindaloo – Basa Curry Ethnic East Indian Style

Baiki Fish Vindaloo is a delicious tangy fish curry made in the traditional East Indian style. Serve with rice, chapatis, or fluffy chitaps and a tasty salad on the side for an enjoyable meal!

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Baiki or Indian Basa is a catfish that is found in Asian or Indian freshwater, and it has slightly pink and fatty meat. The books say its scientific name is pangasius or pangas, but it’s not to be confused with the basa fish found in Vietnam which we usually receive bleached white and frozen. Baiki has a lovely sweet taste and not many fine bones, so it is quite enjoyable to eat. I love it in curry, and I love fried baiki too! Plus, you do not need too much oil for cooking, as the fish oozes oil itself. It supposedly has a good amount of natural Omega 3… so yay…

Here’s my mom’s recipe for baiki vindaloo using East Indian masala. For someone who loves eating chicken skin and pork skin and ghee and fatty food, I think it’s just delicious! But that’s what I think about all of mom’s food, so why not comment and let us know what you think too!

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Baiki Vindaloo?

To make this delicious fish vindaloo you need baiki (Indian basa). We used a baiki fish weighing about 1.5 kgs this time. The weight varies depending on the size of the fish, so anywhere from 750 grams to 2 kgs or more a fish.

You’ll need red chilies (Kashmiri if possible), jeera, a large pod of garlic and an inch of ginger, haldi or turmeric, wine or vinegar, water, and salt.

How To Make Baiki Vindaloo?

So here’s how to cook Indian basa fish in a vindaloo. We wash the fish pieces and keep them aside. That’s because we need to remove the stray splinters of wood that get into it from the fishmonger’s chopping board. Yes, you know, India and all! Hopefully, you don’t have to do that!

Grind all the ingredients for the fish vindaloo masala in a mixer. Traditionally it’s ground with vinegar. So use about 100 ml vinegar and about 400 ml water. But if you prefer, you can substitute the vinegar with about 500 ml of wine. We usually use any second run of homemade wine that I’ve made for this.

Even if you grind it coarsely, it will do. Methinks the coarse version actually tastes better. If you’re too lazy, you can use store-bought vindaloo masala, but fresh homemade masala is always better.

Pour the ground vindaloo masala into a kadai and put it on the stove.

Heat the vindaloo masala for the seafood and add oil, allow it to cook for about 10 minutes on a high flame while stirring at regular intervals so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

After this, add the baiki fish pieces to the vindaloo masala and cook on medium fire for about 5 to 10 more minutes. You’ll know when the fish is cooked because the flesh changes color from pinkish to whitish.

Serve this awesome baiki vindaloo with puris or chapatis even with foogias or chitaps and you have a tasty meal. Although the best way to eat it might just be with plain white rice and kachumber salad.

And if you can’t find this fish, remember this, my mom uses the same fish vindaloo masala recipe for many other fish, so you can too! Comment and let us know how you liked it!

Cooking Tips & Tricks

• You don’t have to use too much oil to cook, as the fish oozes yummy fat.
• You do not need to marinate the fish. It will absorb the vindaloo masala while cooking.
• The fish is cooked when its flesh changes color from pinkish to whitish.
• This same fish vindaloo recipe can be used with different fish or prawns! So, it’s really a seafood vindaloo recipe.
• Pair it with a pineapple wine made at home or a minty wine soda.

Things we’re asked About This Baiki Vindaloo Recipe

What Is Baiki?

Baiki is the local name for Indian basa which is a catfish found in freshwaters. It is not to be confused with the Vietnam basa fish which is bleached white and frozen.

How Long Can Indian Basa Be Stored?

Raw uncooked Indian basa fish can be stored in the freezer for a few months. Cooked baiki fish can be stored in a refrigerator for 2-3 days and in a freezer for 3 to 4 months in an air-tight container.

Why do you eat fatty fish like Baiki?

Indian Basa fish or Baiki as it’s locally known is a fatty tasty fish. Fatty or oily fish are known to be rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which are good for health. But it’s best to ask your nutritionist about it.

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