Go Goan

The amalgamation of Portuguese and Konkani cuisines have made Goan food one of the best in India. This week we bring you some of the most famous Goan recipes that are loved by one and all

Bebinca

Ingredients

9 egg yolks 400 gm sugar 600 ml coconut milk 150 gm refined flour A pinch of nutmeg A pinch of salt pinch 100 gm butter

Method Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Keep only the top grill on. Beat the eggs and sugar, then add coconut milk gradually and mix well. Add flour, nutmeg and salt and mix well.

Take an 8 inch cake mould add 2 tbsp of butter and heat the mould. Pour about 75 ml of the batter and cook in the oven until butter floats on the top. Then add another 75 ml of the mixture. Cook till it is browned in colour.

Repeat for 10 layers. Cool and demould. Serve warmed with vanilla ice cream. Chicken Cafreal Ingredients

150 ml coconut vinegar (toddy vinegar) 10 chicken legs with skin 2 bunches of fresh coriander a bunch of fresh mint 50 gm green chillies 20 gm garlic 20 gm ginger 5 gm turmeric 10 gm sugar 10 gm cinnamon 5 gm cloves 5 gm pepper corn Salt as per taste 50 ml oil

Method

Make a fine paste of all the ingredients except oil, chicken and salt. Apply salt on the chicken and leave for 30 minutes. Marinate the chicken with the paste and leave for two hours. Grill the chicken and serve hot with a salad. Pumpkin Caldin Ingredients

50 ml refined oil 40 gm sliced onions 5 gm green chillies, slit 200 gm diced pumpkin 20 gm sliced tomatoes

For the coconut milk, spice extract 10 gm garlic 5 gm ginger 250 gm fresh coconut grated 5 gm turmeric 10 green chillies 5 gm cumin seeds 10 gm coriander seeds

Method

For the coconut milk, spice extract

Blend all ingredients’ and remove the first extract by squeezing through a strainer. Add a little more water and take out the second extract through the strainer.

Assembling: Heat oil and add sliced onions, green chillies, pumpkin and sliced tomatoes. Cook along with the second extract of the coconut milk and spices.

When the pumpkin is done, add the first extract and cook till done. Check and adjust seasoning and serve with hot rice.

From amateur to professional

Chef Sacramenta Carvalho from Goa never really cooked until she was married. But as a child, the freelance chef loved to watch her mum cook.

Sacramenta has come a long way since then. She has worked in the hospitality business with three restaurants and even has a restaurant named after her in a five star hotel. “Goan food has a lot to offer. Whether it is seafood, vegetarian, or even the meats. There isn’t just one thing that is good here,” she says.

Here are a few tips if you want to cook Goan food: 1) Goan food has a lot of vinegar, tamarind etc. But while marinating pork meat, use coconut toddy. If you don’t have coconut toddy, you can use red wine vinegar. 2) While cooking fish, after cleaning it, marinate it with salt and then wash it. This way the proteins etc. stay and the smell from the fish (if any) and the blood will wash away. You can then either soak the fish in a marinade or use it directly. 3) While cooking with vinegar, it is better to cook food it in an earthen pot.

Memories of home

“Goan food reminds me of home,” says Mandaar Sukhtankar, the executive chef of Park hotel, Bengaluru. “I’m from Belgaum which is right next to Goa. Driving down to Goa was de rigueur for us and every trip home always included a trip to the shore. Even now when I go home, sometimes, we just drive down to Goa for lunch!” he adds.

For someone who grew up with konkan food, it is but natural for Mandaar to have a soft spot for Goan cuisine. “Belgaum is about 150 km from Goa and our food is beautifully interwoven,” he says, while adding, “One of my favourite dishes has to be varan, bhaat and fish curry. In fact, sometimes I feel that’s what I would like my last meal on earth to be. ”