Goan sweet dishes

If  Goan's   love their food, they love their deserts even more . The cultural mix of Indian , Arabic and Portuguese cooking  is what makes their cuisine unique. the culinary wonders of Goa  include so much more than just seafood.

BEBINCA

Pakistangly prepared with  each layer being baked separately  ..this traditional pudding is a slice of  soft yummy goodness . Garnished with almonds and served warmth with ice cream, this  delicious combination is hard to resist.
It is a sort of multi layered cake made with egg, flour, loads of coconut milk, and a hint of nutmeg. can e eaten at any point of the day, sometimes rolled in a chapati  for breakfast. It is traditionally baked in a Goan stove oven but aregular oven or or a stove top will do.

GODSHE

This one is a lot like the South Indian payasam,, except that is made with moong dal and jaggery .godshe is a typical tea time  sweet and can be served hot or cold. It s loved by adults and kids too. The secret to a perfect godshey is a pinh of salt.

BOLINHAS

This tea time delights are commonly reffered to as Goan cookis or Goan biscuits. Dessicated coconuts , rava, eggs, and maid come together to form a soft tasty bolinhas tht crumbles in your mouth. They say you cant stop with one. They re quite popular among  Christmas time.

PATOLLEO

It is Goan sweet dish  prepared for the feast of the assumption of the Marry. This is also the time when the first  corn is offered for a good harvesting season. Thy are made with Goan red rice coconut and jiggery. wrapped in a turmeric  leaves and steamed. The leaves give the rice a lovely  flavor and the jiggery with coconut makes the patolleo sweet and wholesome. Ths traditional delicacy this healthy desert is made during the monsoon month in Goa.

NEUREOS

Neureos are part of consuada, { sweets sent to neighbours and relatives} and have been heavily influences bt Hindu cooking , therefore their resemblance to the 'gujiya;. These crescent shapes fried pastry filled with oconut, rava, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cashew nuts an resins are not n everyday thing . They re usually prepared during special occasions and festivals.

DODOL

A sticky sweet and thick pudding made from coconut jiggery and rice flour, dodol is another popular Christmas dessert in Goa. With preparation of time running into days this is one of the sweet dish that is totally worth the effort.

Watch goan sweet dishes here:

Xacuti

Xacuti is a curry prepared in Goa,India with complex spicing including white poppy seed ,sliced or grated coconut and large dried red chilies . It is usually prepared with chicken or lamb. It is also known as "Chacuti" in Portuguese
MARINATION
1kg chicken, 1/4 Turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt
PASTE
2 inches of ginger, 10 flakes garlic,  1/2 bunch coriander,5 green chilies
PASTE TWO FOR XACUTI MASALA
1 tsp groundnut oil, 2 sliced onions, 2 green chilies 1 inch ginger, 5 flakes garlic, 1 grated large coconut, 1/2 bunch of coriander
PASTE THREE FOR XACUTI MASALA
2 inches cinnamon 3 peeled cardomans, 1 tsp aniseed, 1 tsp black peppar corn, 1 tsp poppy seeds , 1 tsp coriander seeds , 8-10 Kashmiri red chilies, 1 star anise, , 1 maize bowl, 1/4 piece nutmug,.
METHOD
Add salt and turmeric powder to curry cut chicken
Add paste I of ginger, garlic, coriander, chilies and marinate for half hour .
To make paste II heat  oil  in pan  and saute sliced onions , green chilies, ginger, garlic , for 3 minutes.
Add one  grated coconut and saute for 5-7 minutes . once onions are crispy keep aside
To make paste III, On a dry pan seperatly roast cinnamon, cardoman, aniseed, black pepper corn, poppy seeds c, coriander seeds, Kashmiri red chilies,  star anise, maize flower, nutmeg , and turmeric.
Make xacuti masala by griding together paste II and III
For the final preparation , heat oil in pan, and add green chilies .
After 1 minute add the marinated chicken pieces.
After 2 minutes add xacuti masala and water . Cook for 10 minutes .
Served hot with bread or rice.

Goan thali

The most popular food that every goan loves is the delecious goan thali mostly referred as jevan.

Goan thali mostly consist of following dishes:
RICE (sheet)
HUMANN(kadi)- Fish curry and rice ,also known as ''kadi" or "ambot''
FRIED FISH(nuste):mostly bangdo,isvan,karli,tarle,sungta and many more.
FISH SUKE OR DHABDHABIT- dry spicy preparation of fish, eaten as a side fish .
FISH UDITMETHI OR UDDAMETHI- type of curry consisting of fenugreek and mackerel ; a vegetarian version of this dish is also prepared using hog plums  or anything sour or tangy.
KISMUR- a type of side dish normally consisting of dry fish ,onions and coconuts
DANGAR- Goa'n fish cutlets
BHAJI- fried fritters with besan batter. Different type of bhajis can be made by changing the vegetable used with besan
KHATAKHATE
VARAN -  a lentil preparation often made with coconut milk tempered with mustard  , hing , curry leaves and chilies served as a accompaniment to rice for the Naivedya prepared during all Hindu festivals and an integral part of wedding  fiesta.
TONDAK  a dish made with beans cashew etc ..
 Different varieties made  from rice and lentils such as payasu, patoli ,madgane  kheer etc

SOLACHI KADI - a spicy coconut and cocum curry.

See yummy goan thali here:

Tap here for goan recipe.

Curry powder

Curry name adopted from the Tamil word KARI meaning "sauce'' which is usually understood to mean vegetable or meat cooked with spices with or without   gravy.

Curry is a dish originating in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The common feature is the use of complex combination of spices or herbs usually including fresh or dried hot chillies . The use of the this ingredients is limited to the dishes prepared in a sauce.

For original tradition cuisine the precise selection of spices for each dish is a matter of national or regional cultural traditions, religious practices and family preference too..Such dishes are called by their specific names that refer to their ingredient , spicing and cooking methods. Traditionally spices are used  both raw and cooked and they may be added at different times during the cooking process to get different delicious taste. The main spices found in most curry powders are coriander, cumin, turmeric. We also add different types of  curry powder to get different taste for curry.

Curry may contain fish ,meat ,poultry shellfish either alone or with vegetables.Curries may be either dry or hot .Dry curries are cooked with very little liquid which is allowed to evaporate , leaving the other ingredients coate with the spice mixture.

Recipe to make goan fish curry using curry powder: