Goa Attraction Guide
The Famous Goan Cuisine
Goa, a land of mixed culture, find its representative of cosmopolitan nature in the cuisine of the state. The Goan cuisine is a unique blend of the Portuguese, European, Hindu and Muslim style of cooking. Neighbouring Karnataka and Maharastra, cuisine of these states also have a deep effect on Goan cuisine. The Goan cuisine, like the land itself, has many flavours and tastes with its vast treasure trove of culinary delicacies. Generally the food of Goa is spicy, with excess of chillies and spices and sometimes a bit Pungent. Alongside tandoori, rice and dal, Goan cuisine has Chourisso (pickled pig’s liver cooked in vinegar with tamarind) & vindalho (spicy pork). Chillies & cashew nuts were introduced by the Portuguese, as were plantains brought from African colonies; Goans use coconut sauces. You will find India’s best of beers & local wines (port beer being the most palatable). Goan Seafood is loved all over an is on top of a tourists' list.
The Goan Way of Cooking
The Goan way of cooking is also as unique as the Goan cuisine. Traditional way of using fire includes cooking on woodlogs, charcoal and coal. This method of cooking gives a smoked effect on the dish prepared. This adds a tantalizing taste in the delicacies. Though in the restaraunts, modern methods os cooking are used, but they try to put in the same classsic flavour to the dishes. Coconut mixed with spices and then fried in oil is used as a base for the curry. Vinegar and tamarind paste are used in many preparation to add a sour taste.
Basic Ingredients
Basic ingredients of the Goan cuisine are Rice, Coconut milk and Fish. Delicacies made from these three items can be expected in nearly every Goan meal. Besotted with seafood, the Goans find truly world-class prawns, lobsters, crabs, and jumbo pomfrets along the coastline and use them to make a variety of soups, salads, pickles, curries, and fries. An essential ingredient in Goan cooking is coconut milk made by grating the white flesh of a coconut and soaking it in a cup of warm water. Equally important is the ‘Kokum’, a sour, deep red colored fruit that gives it a sharp and sour flavour. The most commonly used spices are cumin, chilies, coriander, garlic and turmeric. Particular combinations of spices have led to the development of a number of different styles of cooking, which have subtly different flavorings.
Some Famous Delicacies
Among the spicy seafood preparations of Goa, the most famous ones are Ambok Tik (Spicy Shark or Catfish preparation), Balchao (Prawn preparation), Fish Mol (Fresh Fish Pickle), Goan Fish Curry and Apa de Camarao (Prawn Pie). Chicken and Pork dishes, which are a Goan speciality are Pork Vindalho (Pork and Vinegar), Sorpotel (Spicy Pork), Chicken Baffad (Really Spicy and full of red chillies), Chicken Cafreal (Deep Fried Chicken, mild spices) and Chicken Xhacuti (Chicken cooked in Coconut Milk). The sweet dishes of Goa include Multi-layered baked Bebinca, Kulkul (deep fried sweet dough), Neureos (Doughnuts filled with Coconut stuffing) and Tender Coconut Souffle. For vegetarian delicacy lovers Cashew Green Peas Bhaji (a tangy mixture of Cashews, Green Peas, Spices and fresh Coconut), Sprouted Moong Ussal (Bean Sprouts with Mustard seeds, Green Chillies and fresh Coconut) and the Alsandachem Tonakh (Kidney beans with a spicy Xhacuti gravy) are equally good Goan preparation.
