Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
Raw Jackfruit blooming time is from December until February, March and the fruit matures during the rainy season in India i.e. from July to August. Raw Jackfruit is fibre rich and excellent for gut health in addition to containing moderate levels of Vitamin C and Potassium. For optimum health benefits, it is always advisable to consume local and seasonal produce.
Ingredients
1 Small Raw Jackfruit
½ cup fresh coconut
2 tbsp. Tamarind pulp
2 tsp. Jaggery or to taste
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil
Roast, each separately and grind coarsely with the coconut
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 to 3 red chillis
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. peppercorns
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds (methi)
Tempering
1 medium onion
4 to 5 garlic crushed
1 sprig curry leaves
½ tsp. mustard seeds.
Method
Cut the Jackfruit and peel it. Cutting the jackfruit is the difficult part as skin is very hard and the sap is sticky and will also make the knife sticky. This can be controlled by oiling your fingers and palm and the knife. Alternately, the sticky sap can be washed off later by first rubbing some oil all over your hands and the knife.
Cut the jackfruit into wedges and discard the pith. Then cut into small slices and immediately immerse in plenty of water. Once cut, wash well and place in a vessel, add some water and bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Add a tsp. of salt.
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Being monsoon season, Shravan and Ganesh, we had to sacrifice some items on the menu as the options available for seafood were far less than expected. Pomfret, King fish, Oysters, Mussels were not available in most places! Hence all the special fish thalis (we love seafood!) which are either King Fish or Chonok were restricted to only Chonok. Secondly, due to monsoon season we were not able to visit as many restaurants as planned.
1.Copper Leaf, Porvorim – 7th July, 2022
We obviously start our Goa restaurant hopping with Copperleaf and their Special Fish thali is always our first meal. Although Copperleaf Sp. Thali is the most expensive among all the thalis we have had, we have found the taste, quality and also quantity exceptional, having most number of items in the thali! Price Rs. 380/-.
2.Copperleaf, Porvorim – 12th July, 2022
Lunch ‘A la Carte’, Ordered Prawn curry rice, King Fish Rawa fry, Rawa fried Mussels. For take-away ordered, stuffed crab, fish platter and bombil fry. Took pictures only of mussels and stuffed crab.
3.Soyre, Gauns Vaddo, Mapusa – 24th July, 2022
This restaurant was a revelation and an amazing find. Happened to google for seafood restaurants in our area (being seafood fans!) and chose Soyre from the lust that came us. On our first visit we ordered al la carte, Squid butter garlic, Tisreyo sukhe, King Fish recheado, Prawns Rava fry, and Prawn Curry Rice! My sister who does not eat seafood ordered a Chicken Thali. The food was amazing, fresh, cooked to a perfect texture and delicious. The recheado was the best I have ever tasted. Prices were very reasonable. For 4 persons with drinks the bill was Rs. 2,100/- approx.
Happens to be a fairly new 3 month old restaurant. Ony hope the restaurant continues to maintain their food quality and taste!
4.Souza Lobo, Calangute – 31st July, 2022
Chose a beachside restaurant to enjoy the beach ambience. We have often patronized this place. They do not serve fish thali. Ordered Sol Kadi golgappas, Stuffed papad with crab, Mackerel Rechado, Chonok Rava fry, Prawn curry rice.
Food was not that great. Golgappas were good. Mackerel rechado was simply some chilli powder smeared on the inside of the mackerel which had no taste at all. Understand the cooks have changed at Souza Lobo so to give them the benefit of the doubt, we hope they are able to rise to their previous standard of food quality and taste soon.
Despite the food we enjoyed the beachside ambience….
5.Turmeric, Porvorim – 3rd August, 2022
Located on the Porvorim main road opposite Mall de Goa.
Planned to try their fish thali but were disappointed as they offered only “A la Carte” although their menu listed fish thali for lunch!
Ordered prawns rava fry, chonok rava fry, king fish curry and rice. Food was ok but the curry had just one slice of king fish shreded into 4 to 6 pieces, ridiculous! I don’t think I would want to go back to Turmeric.
6.Vinayak Family Restaurant, Assagao – 8th August, 2022
Heard a lot about this restaurant. Tried their fish thali, as usual the special fish thali. They had King Fish so ordered one King Fish Thali and One Chonok Thali and what do you think they served as one of the items – Ross omlete, instead of crab curry!! That was truly disappointing. Again, I would give them the benefit of the doubt, being off season, etc. etc. May try them again to see if they have better dishes during season. Alongwith the thali also tried their Stuffed Mackerel Rechado and Bombil Rawa Fry, which was good. The thalis were priced at King Fish Rs.380 and Chonok Rs. 320. Mackerel Rs.200 each and Bombil Rawa Fry Rs.430 per plate (3 pieces)
7.Soyre, Gauns Vaddo, Mapusa – 13th August, 2022
Visited Soyre again just to try their Chonok Fish Thali. Priced at Rs. 250, it was good value but could have been better in taste and quality although the Chonok was fresh, crisp and delicious.
8.Kamalabai, Mapusa – 20th August, 2022
Kamalabai AC section is not opened yet and should be functioning October 2022 onwards. Their Special Fish thali is always good and love the roti that is always served with the Thali. The Chonok Thali was priced at Rs.300 which compared to Copperleaf is quite reasonable.
9.Le Jardine, Near Municipal Gardens, Mapusa – 23rd August, 2022
We would have never found or ventured into this restaurant had I Rickshaw driver not recommended it as a good seafood and thali place. A decent place for family, situated in the heart of Mapusa, bang in front of the Mapusa Municipal Gardens. They serve Goan Rice Lager, which we tried and was good. Ordered the Chonok Fish Thali and here too were disappointed to find ‘Egg Burji’ instead of crab curry. Anyway need to try them again during “Season”. Prawns Rava fry was delicious and the mackerel recheado was OK! Thali is priced at Rs.265, Mackerel Rs. 120 each and Prawns Rs.325.
Taikulo ani Bikna (Casia Tora & Jackfruit seeds Vegetable)
The early monsoon brings an array of wild foods that are super healthy and delicious. The rain makes wild vegetables grow in abundance alongside roads and in the hilly regions. Taikulo is one of these seasonal, local, monsoon vegetables, available for free, with all of its healthy goodness. I, however, purchased this lot from the ladies at Mapusa market for Rs.30/-. The vegetable looks a bit faded as I could not cook it the same day.
Taikulo also called Senna tora or Casia tora (Botanical name) is a wild leafy vegetable that grows along all the roadside and can be plucked straight from the plant and cooked into a simple and nutritious vegetable. Only the tender leaves are used in cooking. Although the whole plant and roots and seeds are widely used in traditional Indian and South Asian medicine. It is said to have numerous health benefits. From an Ayurvedic stand-point the leaves and seeds of this plant are said to contain acrid, laxative, anthelmintic, ophthalmic, liver tonic, cardio tonic and expectorant properties. Adapted from : Vayuvision
Ingredients
4 to 6 cups Taikulo leaves
3 red chillies
6 flakes garlic
1 medium onion
½ tsp. Turmeric powder
½ cup coconut
10 to 12 jackfruit seeds (pre-boiled)
2 tbsp. oil
½ tsp. salt or to taste
Remove the tender leaves from the stems and discard the thick stems. Wash the taikulo leaves well, add some salt and soak in salted water for 15 minutes. Drain and chop finely. Slice the onion, crush the garlic and break the chillies into bits. Heat the oil, add the red chillies, garlic and onion. When onion is translucent, add 1/2 tsp. turmeric and mix. Avoided excessive spices to get optimum benefit from the vegetable. Then add taikulo leaves, salt, some water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes till tender. Add the boiled jackfruit seeds, cut in half and the coconut, mix and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve as an accompaniment with any main meal.
N.B.: When jackfruit is in season, collect the seeds and dry they for a day or two which makes the skin a bit loose and becomes easier to peel. Then, wash and boil jackfruit seeds, cool and store in zip lock bags in the freezer.
Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun-dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste.] A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes. The flavors of this ingredient are released when allowed to simmer. Source: Wikipedia
Dried Shrimp and Lady Finger Curry with Sola (Dried mango)
Ingredients
1 Cup Dry Prawns (Before cleaning)
20 to 25 Lady Fingers
8 flakes dried mango (Sola)
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. Salt or to taste
2 tbsp. coconut oil
Grind to a paste
4 red Kashmiri chilies
6 small round chilies (from Goa)
3 tbsp. coconut powder
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. pepper corns
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
4 flakes garlic
1 small onion
4 to 5 flakes tamarind (small ball)
Roast prawns gently on medium low flame till aromatic and crisp. Becpmes easier to clean when crisp, the heads etc. fall off easily. Leave aside to cool. Prepare the masala ingredients and grind to a smooth paste using some water.
Wash the lady fingers and drain. Cut off the heads and tails and cut each slantwise into 2 to 3 pieces depending on the length of the lady finger. Cutting slantwise gives you a better view of the inside of the lady ifnger which can be sometimes infested with worms.
When the prawns are cool, clean them by removing the head, tail and legs and immerse in water for 10 minutes to soften. Soak the mango sola in water in a cup till required.
Slice the onion and fryin 2 tbsp. oil till light brown. Squeeze out the water (discard the waer) from the prawns and add to the onion. Remove the dried mango from the water (reserve the water) and add to the prawns and saute for 2 minutes. Add the masala paste, sufficient water for the curry, salt and bring to a boil. Then add the lady fingers, adjust the consisency of the curry and cook 10 minutes. Reduce flame when it starts boiling. After 10 minutes check if the vegetable is cooked, if not simmer further 5 minutes. Remove from eat when curry appears glossy and fat surfaces. Serve hot with rice for a delicious, nutritious and satisfying meal.
The healthy, nutritious drumstick (moringa) (sangho) fruit pods
Drumstick pods and leaves are a storehouse of essential nutrients, whereas the leaves are the most nutrient part of the plant and one of the finest sources of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium. Fresh pods and seeds are a great source of oleic acid, a healthy fatty acid which is known to promote heart health. Moringa leaves is unique among all the greens as it is heaped with a good amount of protein about 9.8 gram of protein per 100 grams. Dry powdered leaves are an amazing source of good quality essential amino acids.
The rich culinary tradition of our country has helped us to relish and taste several types of vegetables and fruits thereby derive out the umpteen health benefits. One such amazing vegetable that is greatly valued and earns our interest is drumstick or moringa oleifera.
Moringa obtains its name from the Tamil word, murungai, denotes twisted pod. This humble vegetable is used extensively in Indian culinary dishes for more than a hundred years. Be it delectable sambhar or avail, or any meat curry, soups, pickles etc., drumstick renders its unique flavour to the dishes.
Source: Netmeds.com
Ingredients
6 Drumsticks
5 flakes garlic
1 medium onion
2 tbs. coconut oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
Salt to taste
4 tbsp. fresh coconut
Method
Cut the head and tail of the drumstick and cut into 2 to 4” segments, removing the skin as far as possible keeping the segment intact ensue it does not disintegrate. Discard the head, tail and the skin. Wash and drain the cleaned drumstick pieces. Slice the onion and peel and crush the garlic. Heat a pan, add 2 tbsp. coconut oil, when hot add 1 tsp. mustard seed and allow to pop, then add crushed garlic flakes. Saute for a minute and add the sliced onion and fry thill soft and translucent. Add the drumsticks and toss to cost with oil. Add a cup of water, ½ tsp. salt or to taste and bring to a boil. Mix, cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir in between. When done, add the coconut, mix well and simmer 5 minutes. Take off flame and serve hot as a side with any main meal. To eat, hold the drumstick piece firmly with your teeth and pull with your fingers while extracting and consuming the pulp and the seeds inside the pod. Chew the skin, if you wish, and discard. Simply delicious! The skin should not be ingested, only the pulp and tender seeds inside the pod.
The new superfood – Moringa leaves, healthy, nutritious, excellent for gut health and for diabetics. My mother never had to buy these leaves, they were always available in the home garden or the neighbourhood. Thankfully these are now available worldwide at Asian stores, albeit at a price!
Ingredients
2 Bunches Drumstick Leaves
1 medium onion
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tbsp. coconut oil
Roast and grind to a coarse paste
1 medium onion chopped
2 flakes garlic
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
4 dry red chilies
½ cup fresh or dessicaed coconut
Salt to taste
1 to 2 tbsp. coconut oil
Method
Separate the leaves from the stems of the drumsticks and remove as much of the stems as possible although the small tender stems may be retained. Soak in plenty of water for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly changing the water atleast twice so that any dust etc. can come off. Drain and set aside.
The new superfood – Moringa leaves, healthy, nutritious, excellent for gut health and for diabetics. My mother never had to buy these leaves, they were always available in the home garden or the neighbourhood. Thankfully these are now available worldwide at Asian stores, albeit at a price!
Ingredients
2 Bunches Drumstick Leaves
1 medium onion
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tbsp. coconut oil
Roast and grind to a coarse paste
1 medium onion chopped
2 flakes garlic
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
4 dry red chilies
½ cup fresh or dessicaed coconut
Salt to taste
1 to 2 tbsp. coconut oil
Method
Separate the leaves from the stems of the drumsticks and remove as much of the stems as possible although the small tender stems may be retained. Soak in plenty of water for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly changing the water atleast twice so that any dust etc. can come off. Drain and set aside.
Heat a pan and add oil. When hot add the red chilies, garlic and onion. When light brown add the coconut, turmeric powder and salt and saute for 2 minutes till light brown and you get a nice roasted aroma. Set aside to cool. Then grind to a coarse paste.
Slice the remaining onion. Heat a pan and add oil, when hot add the mustard seeds, when they pop add the sliced onion and fry till translucent and soft. Add the ground masala and saute 2 to 3 minutes adding the rinsed water from the jar. Add the drained drumstick leaves, mix and stir fry for 10 minutes. Remove to a serving dish and serve hot. The vegetable will have a slight crunch to it and a slight bitter taste so is very healthy and excellent for diabetics, is very nutritious and good for gut health due to it’s fibre content. Some may want the leaves to be more tender, in this case add ¼ cup water and cook further 5 minutes. Serve hot.
The deicious and tantalizing Goa sausages and the famous Choris Pao, a universal favorite, prepared from a simple sausage chilli fry. The sausages have all the spices required, all that is needed is some onion and potato (if you wish) to prepare this dish. The taste and flavor of the cooked sausage chilli fry is directly related to the quality of sausages. So do take care to source the best ones you can find!
Ingredients
20 small beads Goan Sausages (or 10 large ones)
3 to 4 medium onions, as required
1 medium potato (optional)
Remove the string and remove the casing of the sausages. Some even like to keep the thread and casing and simple cut the sausages strands into 2” pcs. In this case wash the outer casing of the sausages before using.
Clean and slice the onions roughly into thick slices/pieces. Peel, wash and chop potato into cubes. Add the sausages, onions and potato to a vessel. Barely cover with water and keep on flame and bring to a boil. Stir at intervals. Cook till water has almost dried, just a little should remain for gravy. Serve hot with pao or pulao.
The Goa sausages famous all over the world, cooked and added to rice for a spicy, tangy, delicious pulao.
Ingredients
2 cups Basmati rice
30 small beads goa sausages (chorisan)
3 medium onions
6 cloves
6 cardamoms
½ tsp. whole peppercorns
2” sticks cinnamon
2 stock cubes, any flavour (I used chicken)
½ tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. Oil
Wash and soak the rice, till required. Cut the thread of the sausage beads and slit the casing to remove completely. Keep the sausage meat aside. Clean and slice the onions. Heat oil in a vessel and add the onions, fry till translucent. Add the sausage meat and 1 cup water and cook 15 to 20 minutes till all the water is absorbed and sausages are tender. Take a larges vessel to cook the pulao. Add 4 cups water, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and the stock cubes. Add ½ tsp. salt to taste. When the water starts boiling and the stock cubes are dissolved, add the soaked drained rice. Mix well and cover. When it begins boiling, reduce to low flame and cook till water is half absorbed. Then add the cooked sausages and mix well gently. Cover and continue cooking on low till all the moisture is absorbed and rice is cooked. Serve hot. Delicious! A family favorite!!
Mix the flour, sugar, salt and egg together and knead with water or coconut milk if you prefer, to a smooth pliable dough. Leave to rest for atleast half hour.
In a separate bowl add the ghee and custard powder and mix to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Divide the dough into equal portions. Dust each portion with flour and roll into a circular disk as thin as possible. Apply a tablespoon of the custard paste and spread it thinly over the top of the disk. Form into a cylindrical roll as compact as possible. Then cut into one inch pieces. Take one cut piece and place vertically on the board with the cut side facing up and roll as thin as possible, dusting with flour if required. Repeat till all the dough is used up. Heat oil, when hot enough reduce flame to low. Before adding to the oil, pull the two edges of the phenori gently and stretch it slightly to elongate it. When fried the phenori resembles angel wings. Add the phenori to the hot oil in batches till slightly brown and crisp.
Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately. Store in airtight containers when cool.
Clean and cut meat into cubes or slices. Wash, drain and set aside. Grind the ginger and garlic to a coarse paste. Marinate the meat with the 1 tbsp. of the jeerem meerem powder, juice of lemon and salt. Keep aside for one hour atleast.
Slice the onions and tomatoes, slit the green chillies and cut the potatoes into cubes or wedges. Heat oil I a vessel and fry the onions till light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry till soft. Reduce heat and add the remaining jeerem meerem powder and saute for a miunute. Add beef and cook on high heat till meat changes color, reduce heat and cook till water evaporates. Add the tamarind pulp and a cup of hot water, bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Then lower heat and cook another 20 minutes till meat is tender. Add the green chillies and potatoes and cook further 10 minutes till potatoes are cooked. Check seasoning. Add ½ tsp. sugar (optional) Usually this is a dry dish but you can add some hot water if you need to have some gravy and simmer till oil surfaces. Served with Goan pulao (Aroz) or any bread of your choice.
Delicious, succulent and moist Stuffed Pomfrest in mouth watering green masala and cooked iun banana leaf which prevents the fish from absorbing too much oil! Use stuffing of your choice, red, green or recheado masala. Recipe is from my mother’s book “Mais Recipes”. Get hold of your copy soon. Here is the link for details: https://cooklikececilia.com/mais-recipes-contact-details
Beef steak stuffed rolls – I am calling this Goan Beef Roulade because this is the spicy version of Beef Olives with typical Goan flavors as it includes Chorizo (Goan sausages) in the stuffing. The Beef Olives I have made earlier are a milder version leaning more towards continental cuisine. Try them, both are delicious in their own right!!
Ingredients
1 kg. Beef steaks, beaten
2 medium chopped onions
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 to 4 tbsp. oil or ghee
Stuffing : Potato, Carrots, Choris (Goan sausages), Bacon, as required
Grind to a smooth paste
10 red chillies
1 ½ “ pc. Ginger
10 cloves garlic
10 cloves
1” cinnamon
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. peppercorns
½ tsp. turmeric
4 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Method:
P.S.: Ask the butcher to beat and flatten the steaks well. If not you will need to use a mallet or heavy pestle to beat the steaks to thin them so forming the rolls is easier.
Wash, drain and marinate the steaks in the ground masala paste for one hour.
Prepare the stuffing.
Peel, wash and cut one potato in 2” sticks.
Wash carrot, peel and cut into 2” sticks.
Remove the Goan sausages from the casings.
Cut the bacon into 2” strips. As bacon is not available here I have skipped it.
Spread the steaks on a board and trim off any excess meat and you need a rectangle piece.
Reserve the extra meat trimmings
Place the potato, carrot and sausages on one end of the steak and roll into a compact roll.
Secure with string or toothpicks. Thus make all the rolls.
Heat a wide pan, add the oil/ghee and fry the chopped onions, w
When they soften and are translucent, add the tomato paste and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
Place the rolls in a single layer (reserve the excess marinade) and fry 3 to 4 minutes on high till light brown.
Turn over and cook 20 minutes till the gravy almost dries up.
Stir well scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid burning the onions.
Add the excess marinade and some water to rinse the bowl and add to the roulade gravy.
Also add the leftover potatoes and carrots, if any, chopped finely.
Check and adjust seasoning.
Cook till meat is tender and gravy is thick and oil surfaces.
Any rolls that are large in size can be cut into pieces before serving.
Remove the string before serving.
Toothpicks may be left as it is as they can be easily removed. Serve hot.
Xacuti or Xacutti (Konkani: शागोती) is a curry prepared in Goa, India, with complex spicing, including white poppy seeds, sliced or grated coconut and large dried red chilies.[1] It is usually prepared with chicken, lamb, or beef.[2][3] It is also known as chacuti in Portuguese.
Xacuti or Shagoti as is commonly known in Goa has its origin in Harmal (now Arambol) in Pernem Taluka of Goa. Here fisherman in the olden days used to get a fresh catch of fish or a local chicken and prepare a gravy for this dish. The gravy typically used local spices like black pepper (meerya), chilli, turmeric, onion, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, etc. The hero was a mildly roasted coconut kernel which is finely grated and lightly toasted. – Source Wikipedia:
Chicken Xacuti
A traditional Goan dish, Xacuti (pronounced ‘Sha-kooti’) almost always made with chicken and the complex array of spices used in preparation of this dish makes is wonderfully flavorful and unique. Xacuti may also be prepared with beef or lamb.
Ingredients
1 ½ Kg. Chicken
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. salt
Marination
2” pc. ginger
10 flakes garlic
½ bunch coriander leaves
5 green chillies
Xacuti Masala I
Fry in 1 tsp. oil and grind
1 tsp. oil
3 onions, sliced
3 green chillies
1.5” pc. Ginger
7 garlic flakes
1 large coconut (2 cups grated)
½ bunch coriander leaves
Heat oil in a pan and saute sliced onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic for 3 minutes. Add grated coconut and saute for another 5 to 7 mns. Once onions are crispy, keep aside.
Xacuti Masala II
Dry Roast the following
¼ pc. nutmeg
2” cinnamon
3 cardamoms
1 star anise
1 tsp. fennel (badishep, saunf)
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
8 to 10 kashmiri chillies
½ tsp. turmeric
Grind all the above together to make the xacuti masala paste.
Xacuti preparation
2 tsp. oil
2 onions, sliced
2 green chillies, slit
¼ cup water
Method
Clean, remove skin and cut chicken into pieces.
Wash and drain. Add salt and turmeric powder to chicken pieces.
Grind the marination masala and marinate the chicken pieces for half an hour, or overnight if desired.
Heat oil and add onions and green chillies and fry for a minute.
Add the marinated chicken and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the xacuti masala and water and cook 30 to 45 minutes or till chicken is tender.
Frango à Cafreal is a spicychicken preparation consumed widely in the Indian state of Goa. The preparation originated from the Portuguese colonies in the African continent.[1] It was introduced into the Goan cuisine by the Portuguese and the African soldiers serving under the Portuguese.
The generic preparation involves green chillies, fresh coriander leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, mace, clove powder and lime juice or vinegar. Chicken Cafreal is always made from whole chicken legs, flavoured with the spices and herbs mentioned and then shallow fried.[2] Chicken Cafreal is usually accompanied by potato wedges and lime wedges. It is a popular dish in the bars and taverns of the state. – Source: Wikipedia
This recipe s inspired by Late Wendell Rodricks
Cafreal – Chicken Cafreal
Ingredients
1.5 kg. Chicken
1 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. black peppercorns
½ tsp. Turmeric powder
1 bunch coriander leaves (about 100 gms)
12 to 15 flakes garlic
2” piece ginger
6 green chillies (or to taste)
10 cashewnuts
2 Onions
4 Tomatoes (deseeded) (Optional)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. Coconut oil
2 tbsp. ghee or as required
Method
Clean and cut the chicken into large pieces.
Wash and set aside to drain.
Grind to a paste the ingredients from garam masala to lemon juice alongwith the salt.
Marinate the chicken with this masala.
Refrigerate overnight.
Heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry the chicken in batches to light brown to seal the juices.
Set chicken aside
Reserve the marinade.
Add the coconut oil to the ghee left over from frying the chicken.
If not add a tbsp of ghee to a vessel, heat and fry the masala paste for 5 minutes till the raw smell disappears and fat leaves the masala.
Add the chicken, salt (if required), 1 cup hot water and cook till chicken is tender and gravy is thick.
Serve hot garnished with onion rings and lemon wedges.
Repeated reheating gives a deeper color and improves the taste and texture of the gravy and the Cafreal just tastes better!
Caldine or Caldinho in Portuguese, is a typical goan curry recipe used to cook, fish, vegetables or shrimp. It’s a light coconut curry and as the consistency is quite thin can easily double up as a spicy soup. It is mildly spiced and considered a “sweet” curry. This combination of shrimp and cauliflower is quite commonly prepared in a caldine and tastes delicious over boiled rice or with some crusty bread or poee or pao used to mop up the runny curry and the juicy morsels devoured with the crunchy cauliflower and luscious shrimp. Keep the shells of the shrimp intact (provided they are fresh) and you will enjoy sucking and relish the juicy caldine that is trapped in the shells!! Make sure the cauliflower has some crunch, so avoid overcooking.
Ingredients
1 cup medium to large prawns
1 medium cauliflower
1 medium onion
3 green chillies
1 medium tomato
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. Salt, or to taste
Grind to a paste
1 cup fresh coconut or 4 tbsp. coconut powder
3 large cloves garlic
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 small marble sized ball tamarind
Method
Shell & devein the prawns. If the prawns are very fresh, keep the shell intact, removing the head and legs.
Wash and drain.
Apply a pinch of salt and turmeric and set aside.
Separate the cauliflower florets and cut into large pieces.
Immerse in salted water for 15 minutes to loosen dirt and kill insects, if any.
Grind the masala to a paste.
Slice the onion, slit the green chilies and chop the tomato.
Heat oil in a vessel,
Add the sliced onion, green chilli and fry till light brown.
Add the tomato and saute till soft.
Add the masala paste with the masala water and additional water for the curry as required,
Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Add cauliflower and cook 5 minutes till almost tender.
Add prawns and cook 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and serve with steamed rice.
Goes well also with Poee, or bread to mop up the delicious gravy
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