GOAN
Seafood Divine Mouth-watering fish curry and rice, spicy sausages, cashew nut feni and the 16-layered bebinca, Goan cuisine is a foodie’s delight T EX T : R U PA L I DE A N
oan cuisine is as zesty as its people. Seafood and rice hold the reins in the daily meal. Prawns, lobsters, crabs, and jumbo pomfrets are used for soups, salads, pickles, curries and fried food. It runs the gamut from fried fish to exotic concoctions like ambot-tik, a slightly sour curry dish which can be prepared with either fish or meat. ldeirada is a mildly flavoured offering in which fish or prawns are cooked into a kind of stew with vegetables, and often flavoured with wine. Racheiado is a delicious preparation in which a whole fish, usually a mackerel or pomfret, is slit down the centre and stuffed with a spicy red sauce, after which it is cooked. A must have for starters is the Pao com chourico — these spicy Goan sausages are sautéed with onions and served in a bread roll. A highlight of Goan cuisine is the pork vindalho, considered to be the king of Goan pork dishes. It is made of pork cubes spiced with the choicest spices grown in the Western Ghats, and cooked slowly over medium heat. It’s best enjoyed with rice. Balchao de Camaro is a delectable item of spicy prawns cooked in a tangy shrimp and feni sauce. For those who like their fish less spicy, fish caldine, a mildly-spiced coconut and turmeric fish curry makes a top choice. Goan vegetarian doesn’t have too many takers. Most of the vegetables are steamed or stirfried and mildly spiced. Grinding spices is an integral part of any recipe, and the tastier the dish the longer it takes to make the masala (spices). Every part of the coconut is used in Goan cooking, this includes oil, milk, and grated coconut flesh, while toddy, the sap from the coconut palm, is used to make vinegar and also acts as an yeast substitute. Sorpotel is perhaps the most popular dish of the Goans, and is prepared from pork, liver, heart and kidney, all of which are diced small and cooked in a thick and spicy sauce, it is best enjoyed with feni. The locally-brewed feni is made from the fruit of the cashew tree and is a great accompaniment to wash down all food. The most popular dessert is Bebinca, made of layers of coconut pancakes. The ingredients include plain flour, egg yolks, sugar, ghee (clarified butter) and coconut milk. The dish is a must at any celebration, be it a birthday, wedding, Christmas or Easter.
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10 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
MAY 2012