Category: Goa

Ingredients
1 kg joints
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
12 Kashmiri chilies
1 head garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 onion, sliced
salt and vinegar to taste

Method
Grind the cumin, mustard, chilies and garlic. Add the turmeric
and enough vinegar to form a paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken
pieces and marinade for as long as possible. Fry the onion until brown
then add the chicken and brown. Add a small amount of water (enough to
stop the chicken drying out) and simmer until chicken is tender. Add salt
and vinegar to taste and cook for a few minutes more. Note :- This is equally
good when lime juice is used in the spice mixture instead of vinegar.

Ingredients
1 kg fine shrimp (known as “galmbo”; in Konkani)
1 bottle palm “feni” (drinking it is a favourite Goan pastime
1 pod garlic
12 peppercorns
6 dry red chilies
3 Tsp. salt
2 clean dry empty bottles

Method
Clean the shrimp thoroughly, wash and tie in a muslin cloth. Allow to
hang for about 12 hours till all the water has drained out.

Sqeeze out any water that may be left. Grind the shrimps,salt, garlic and peppercorns with palm feni only.

Mix dry chilies (whole). If any feni is left, it may be added to the shrimp paste. Fill in the bottle and cap tightly.

Cafreal is one of those dishes where anything seems to go. I was given
many variants, except the one I wanted. A small restaurant in the back of
beyond served the most wonderful Cafreal, so good the locals were queuing
up for tables. The owner though, flatly refused to give me his recipe.
Cafreal is essentially chicken (whole or jointed) marinated in chilies,
lime juice (or vinegar) and spices, then either deep fried, barbecued or
roasted. The following recipe is my interpretation but I am still working
on it. I have used the roasting method as this produces a great gravy.
I also recommend that you make a stock from the chicken carcass, it adds
an extra dimension to a risotto.
Ingredients
1 chicken, prepared for roasting or jointed chicken pieces
juice of 1 lime
1 level tsp salt
5 dried red Kashmiri chilies, ground
3 green chilies, de-seeded
4 peppercorns, ground
1 Tsp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 inch piece cinnamon bark, ground
1/2 inch piece mace, ground
8 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger

Method
Rub the salt and lime juice over the chicken (also inside if whole). Grind
all the other ingredients together and rub over the chicken. Cover and marinade
over night in the fridge.

Heat oven to 325C. Place the chicken in a roasting tray and cover with
foil (this is important – the chicken must be moist when done and the spices
must not burn).

For a 4lb chicken, cook for about 2 hrs (adjust the time to the size of bird or if chicken joints are used).

Baste several times during cooking. For the last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the foil.

Remove the chicken from the roasting tray and leave to rest. You now have two
options for the ‘gravy’. Either collect the pan juices as is (no don’t
skim the fat off) or skim the fat, deglaze and make a gravy as normal.
When I had it in India it was served just with the pan juices. Notes :-
If a whole chicken was used, then cut into two halves post cooking, do
not carve into slices ;- this is meant to be eaten with your hands. Serve
with plenty of bread to dip the juices up. Why not roast some root veggies
and garlic in the roasting tray while you are at it.

Ingredients
50 under-ripe mangoes
6 cups salt
4 Tsp turmeric
1 cup oil
1 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp turmeric
2 Tsp fenugreek
10 Tsp mustard seeds
10-15 Tsp chili powder

Method
Peel and cube the mangoes. Mix with salt and turmeric, Cover with a heavy weight
and leave for 3 days, stirring the mixture daily. Heat the oil and fry the asafoetida, turmeric and fenugreek.

Remove spices and set aside and when cool grind to a fine powder. Add 5 Tsp of
the mustard seed to the pan. When the seed begin to pop, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Dry roast the remaining mustard seeds and then grind them. Mix all the spices together with the chili powder.

Drain the mangoes from the water that has collected, mix well with the spices
and bottle. Can be eaten after a week or so.

Caldeirada is a well known Portuguese dish which, I seem to remember,
uses a lot of shellfish. Here is a Goan version.

Ingredients
10 large mackerel or sardines, cleaned and head removed
4 large onions, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 head of garlic, finely sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced
3 tbls light oil
1 Tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
4 bell peppers (red/green) and or green chilies
salt to taste

Method
Layer a few slices of onion and tomato in a pan. Place
1/2 the fish over onions an tomato. Add another layer of
onion/tomato and then another layer of fish. Sprinkle with the garlic and
ginger. Scatter over the remaining onion and tomato. Pour the oil, vinegar
and about 6-7 Tsp water over the fish. add salt is desired. Cook on a
low heat until fish is half done. Sprinkle turmeric over fish. Add peppers/chilies.

Cook until fish is tender.

Goan Machi All along the Konkan coast, a variety of fish and shellfish
are cooked in a hot sweet and sour coconut sauce. ‘Kokum’ fruit is used
with tamarind to produce a sour effect, but the curry can be made successfully
with limes or lemons as a replacement. I find the flavor improved if the
fish is prepared a day in advance.
1
Ingredients
3/4 lbs firm white fish fillets
1 tsp turmeric salt
2 tsp lemon juice
3 dried hot chili peppers
1 tsp cumin seed
2 tbls coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 cloves garlic
1 1/4 inch piece peeled fresh gingerroot
2 1/2 cups freshly grated coconut
1 large onion
2 tbls veg. oil
5 fl. oz. tamarind juice
5 kokums or chopped
flesh from 1/2 lime or lemon
7 oz. peeled tomatoes
3 fresh hot green chili peppers

Method
Sprinkle the fish fillets with the turmeric, a little salt, and
the lemon juice. Leave for several hours. Grind the seeded red chili peppers,
cumin and coriander seeds, and peppercorns to a fine powder, then work
with the garlic, ginger and coconut in a food processor to form a smooth
paste. Chop the onion and fry in the heated oil until golden brown. Add
the spice paste and cook gently for 10 minutes. Pour in 1 quart of boiling
water and simmer for 20 minutes. Now put in the fish and it’s liquid, together
with the tamarind juice and the kokums. Cook gently for 10 minutes. Just
at the very end, add the chopped tomatoes and seeded green chili peppers.
from Favorite Indian Food by Diane Seed.

A delicious shellfish recipe from Goa, using spices and fresh coconut.

Ingredients
2 1/4 lbs. mussels
4 Tbl. veg. oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic
1 1/4 inch piece fresh ginger root
2 fresh hot chili peppers
1 tsp. turmeric
2 cups freshly grated coconut
1 tsp. salt

Method
Heat the oil and let the cumin seeds begin to spatter before adding
the finely chopped onion. Cook until it is soft. Grind the garlic and ginger
to a paste with a little water. Add the paste to the onion and, after a
few minutes, stir in the seeded and chopped chilies and turmeric. Add the
coconut, salt and about 10 fl. ozs. water. Simmer for about 5 minutes,
then add the scrubbed mussels, still in their shells. Mix well and simmer
for another 5 minutes or so, when all the shells should be open.

From Favorite Indian Food by Dianne Seed

Chicken Chicken Shakuti I (chicken cooked in coconut)
Chicken Shakuti II (chicken cooked in coconut)
Chicken Moelho
Chicken Cafreal
Chicken Gizad
Chicken Baffad
Chicken chili fry
Goanese Fiery Duck Curry in Vindaloo Sauce

Ingredients
1Kg chicken, cut into desired pieces (or or off the bone)
6 Tsp ghee
10 onions
2 coconuts – thick and thin milk extracted from one, the other grated
and roasted in a large pan with two of the onions (sliced) and a little
ghee. This should be roated until the coconut has gone a pale brown. Grind
this roasted coconut/onion mixture.
2 Tsp coriander seeds
5 peppercorns
15 dried red chilies dry roast the above and grind into a paste with a little water and add 1tsp turmeric.

Dry roast the following and grind into a paste with a little water:
6 cloves
1/2 inch piece cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg
3/4 Tsp aniseed
1 Tsp poppy seeds
2 limes

Method
Chop four of the onions and fry until light brown. Add the chicken and brown.
Add the coriander etc. paste, fry for a minute and then add the thin coconut
milk. Cook until chicken is tender. Cut the remaining onions into quarters and
add to the chicken, along with the roated coconut and cinnnamon etc, paste.
Simmer for a few minutes then add the thick coconut milk. Add salt if required.
Simmer for 10 minutes or so until sauce has thickened. Sprinkle over some
lime juice prior to serving.

Another traditional Goan Christmas treat.
Ingredients
1 lb. flour
2 Tsp. ghee
a pinch of salt
For the filling:
1 lb. sugar
1/2 cup water
1 half ripe coconut grated fine
100 g. cashew nuts (chopped very fine)
100 g. raisins
2 Tsp. ghee
6 cardamons (powdered)
oil for frying

Method
Mix flour, salt and ghee well, add just enough water to knead into a small
dough. Keep aside.

Heat sugar and water till a syrup is formed. Add the grated coconut, ghee and nuts. When the mixture has thickened, add raisins and cardamon powder. Remove from fire after the mixture turns quite dry. Cool and keep aside. Divide the dough into small balls, roll out into thin rounds, put a spoonful of the coconut filling on each round, wet the edges, press down to form half-moon shapes. Trim
edges preferably with a cutter and deep fry in hot oil.

In India, a paper back edition of this recipe book is available for about 30
rupees (~ US $ 1).

You can contact the author the following address: Joyce Fernandes D/5 Kundaikar
Nagar, Dada Vaidya Rd., Panjim, Goa. India. 403001