“Think Goan cuisine and immediately it is a vindaloo or a xacuti that comes to mind, right? Wrong. Goan food is more than that and the food cooked in most Goan homes is made with simple ingredients,” explains M Santosh, Executive Chef at Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia at Cavelossim.
To drive home his point, Santosh serves us a Goan thali at Seagull restaurant. Sitting amidst the Portuguese calcada and swaying palms, the Goan thali is truly a sight to behold.
Neatly arranged on a banana leaf is caldeen curry, foogath , kismoor , Goan fish curry and prawns curry, served in tiny steel bowls with a mound of ukade tandool (boiled rice) and rava bangda fry (semolina mackerel).
It is odd that we are munching on caldeen curry instead of a xacuti or a vindaloo, which is what most of us often do. The curry is creamy and flavourful, made by blending pepper corn, garlic, coriander seeds, tamarind and coconut milk extract. This mildly-spiced dish makes for a perfect accompaniment with rice.
“This curry is made with fish and prawns, but the vegetable one is more popular in Goan homes,” says chef Santosh, topping my bowl with more curry. There is another variant of the curry, made with paneer .
Next to the mound of ukade tandool is a little serving of kismoor . The minute I take the first morsel, flavours burst in my mouth; textures play with my palate. The pungency of salted dried prawns, sourness of tamarind and heat from chillies and onions, assail my taste buds. It takes a while for it to grow on me. But one thing that stands out is how the flavours of the humble dal chawal are elevated. Though this is the most popular version, it is also made with salted dried fish, or vegetables such as bitter-gourd, beans and jack-fruit stems. Its popularity arises from the fact that it serves as a seafood alternative even during the rains, when fishermen do not venture into the sea.
Next, I dig into foogath , a Goan preparation made with steamed cabbage and minimal spices. This dish, paired with fish curry rice, is a Goan staple.
HYDERABAD:ANDHRA PRADESH:14/04/2012: Goan food festival at Momo cafe Courtyard mariott in Hyderabad. PHOTO:------G_RAMAKRISHNA
Dessert comprises a lavish spread of dodol (a sweet made with coconut, jaggery and rice flour), pinagre (made with red rice, flour, coconut and jaggery), chana doce (a Goan sweetmeat prepared using Bengal gram) and bebinca (a layered pudding made with egg yolk and coconut). Though many know bebinca , it is cooked on only special occasions, as “it takes 35 minutes to cook just one layer of bebinca . And as per tradition, a bebinca comprises 51 layers! So one would need more than 24 hours to make it,” reveals Santosh.
Influence of outsiders
Goan cuisine is influenced by numerous cultures — Portuguese being one. It began when Vasco da Gama came to India in 1498. The Portuguese brought with them bread, chillies, potatoes and vinegar, as well as meat such as pork and beef. This resulted in the local cuisine being transformed, leading to changing food habits. New dishes such as pork vindaloo, prawn balchao and pork feijoada were introduced.
“Another souring agent used in most Goan homes is ambade (or the Goan hog plum),” says chef Santosh, explaining how it is added to dals and curries to give it a tangy twist. Next, we head towards the Margoa fish market, where most Goans buy their fish. There is also an interesting array of pickles — bombil (a spicy, tangy mixture made with dried bombay duck), tendli (ivy gourd) and prawns mohle (a spicy preparation made with spices, fresh prawns and dates).
Though Goan food draws influences from various cultures, it has evolved as one of the most celebrated cuisines in the world. The simplicity of flavours that unfolded on my Goan sojourn, is definitely worth cherishing.
