Pictures from a Goan Kitchen

I snuck up on my mom making lunch, and this is what I found:

An assortment of fried fish - the flat slices are Kingfish, Visvon or Surmai. The others are pieces of Kalli, a fih available in Mumbai as well - very bony but flavourful. The The Spice Paste used is deceptively simple - tumeric and chilli powder in equal quantities, and salt. After marinating the fish, they are dusted with Semolina and shallow fried.

Clams, or thisra, are one of the more popular shellfish in Goa. Here, they have been prepared with lightly fried onion, green chilli, freshly grated coconut and tamarind in sukke, which literally means "dry". The bigger brothers of the

clams, like mussels (shinanyo) and oysters (kalva) are also rava fried.

And the staple - fish curry rice, or sheeth humon. The base of a curry is coconut, ground to a paste with turmeric, pepppercorns, tamarind and chilli. Chopped onions are either fried or boiled till translucent, and then the paste is allowed to boil with the fish. This is prawn curry. Prawns in curry always come with sidekicks - raw mangoes, okra, starfruit - depending on the reason. Here, mom used drumsticks. Smaller prawns are supposed to lend a greater flavour to the curry.

From the frying pan into the fire

My last installment on Goan restaurants, for now, and it's all about fried fish. Fried fish seems like the easiest thing to do, but its very tricky. You first have to get yourself a fresh fish, because even slightly stale fish stand out. The fish have to be cooked enough so that the crust is crunchy but the fish inside is not overdone. You can't overdo the spices also - because the taste of the fish should be discernible. Unless you are a true fish eater, it's difficult to understand that every fish has its own distinct taste and texture.

The quest for good fried fish brings me to two restaurants which should only be gone to for the fish. After all, this is not a blog about "ambience". :)

Kamalabai at Mapusa (left from the Hanuman Temple and a 5 minute drive, keep your eye out for the sign or ask any taxi driver) sees a good lunch crowd for the VFM Fish Curry Rice (Rs. 20). At night, it attracts a lot of drunkards. A good time is about 8pm. The owners of Kamalabai assure the freshest catch of the day - no surprise, as they themselves own a fishing trawler. It's a pilgrimage spot every time I come to Goa, this time, since it was already nearing 9, we chose to go to Alisha Bar and Restaurant. Alisha is closer to Panjim, located just across the Mandovi Bridge, opposite the Vidhan Sabha. Obviously, there are huge crowds during assembly time. But otherwise there is a flight of mud steps down and steps up to a verandah restaurant, from where there's is a beautiful view of Panjim.

And yes, some fancy looking prawns. These are with the shells and legs intact. I prefer it that way, though I'm sure you can get yours cleaned up. The prawns turned out a little tough.

I am told that red snapper (tamuso) isn't really high up on the priority list of most Goans. It's an uneconomical fish to buy wholesale, as it has a huge unusable abdominal portion. I am a great fan of its meaty taste. It tends to get very tough when fried but the guys at Alisha did a good job.

Chicken Cafreal at Florentine

Chicken Cafreal, originated as Galinha (Frango) Piri-piri, a grilled bush dish from Mozambique. When the Portuguese came into contact with this, several changes were made to the dish when it was brought to another Portuguese colony, Goa. Galinha Cafreal had incorporated several Portuguese herbs, like Cilantro (coriander), and was no longer grilled but fried.

The best Cafreal in Goa can be found at a small restaurant called Florentine. Just keep driving down the CHOGM road, after Porvorim, just off NH 17, until you will see a large arch with the name "Villa Saligao". For years, this arch and resort have meant nothing but a landmark for Florentine, which is in a lane just to the left of Villa Saligao. Florentine is very basic, very local, and to get a table you actually have to go and tell the occupants of a table that you're next. Notwithstanding the care-a-damn attitude of the management, if you fancy an early dinner, get your table, ask for a beer and a half of their Chicken Cafreal.

(The pic in this plate is a quarter. I know it's messy but the waiter was in a hurry)

So what's so great about it? Everything. Cafreal is a mix of herbs and spices which produces a taste unlike any other flavour in Indian cuisine - it seems like a coriander chutney but it isn't. The Chicken in Florentine is shallow fried after intensive marination, and is cooked with the skin on, which contributes to the moistness of the chicken. The chicken has no gravy,just a hint of a sauce. Best eaten with Poli, if you really need it.

As an accompaniment, Dad loves the fried Bombil, or Bombay Duck. The Bombay Duck is actually a fish, and is actually a fish very high on water retention. When cut and drained (many people place heavy stones on the fish after salting it) and fried, it turns out nice and crispy, with fine, soft bones that you can swallow with ease. Am more a fan of the Bombil at Gajalee, though. But that's for another post.

A taste of Portugal

Post drinks at Ernesto's. head out to 31st January Road, behind the District Court, close to the Goa Tourism Complex. Hospedaria Venite has wooden balconies and quaint tables for two in each one, and it is THE most romantic restaurant in Panjim. The interiors are made up of wood, and the candles against the lantern lights make for a pretty dining experience. In the inner room, there’s graffiti on the walls right from the year 1974. If you look closely, you can find something I wrote. If you do, please inform me because I was drunk and I don’t remember where I wrote!

At Venite, order some wine, and have some of the wonderful Portuguese fare they have on offer. It is one of Goa’s few authentic Portuguese restaurants. They also have one of the best wine selections (outside of five stars, of course), not to mention fresh feni. You can enjoy a roast chicken, or a steak. They also have wonderful pan fried sea food – again, ask the waiter for his recommendations. Venite has some vegetarian fare as well, though to review that I think I’ll have to make a trip there again.

Unfortunately I’ve never had a romantic dinner at Venite, but a girl can still hope. Till then, I can only wish, and go back to Venite for the wine, the food and my lost graffiti.

Tip: Except for the Christmas-New Year period, Venite is closed on Sundays, as I found out day before yesterday.

The Goan Pub Hop

Another evening in Panjim? Enjoy your sunset at Dona Paula, and get to Panjim Square, near the Church. Make your way to Club Vasco Da Gama (ask around, people are very helpful) and to Ernesto’s, the closest Panjim has to a Pub. Ernesto is a young entrepreneur who is living the Goan dream – he is running this club and bringing a young face to Goan hospitality. Ernesto has wild headgear and snazzy dressing but other than that, he’s all business. It’s the best place for beer and good music. Ernesto has a great collection of 70’s and 80’s music and loves requests. If you are lucky to get a table in the window, you can enjoy the view of Panjim garden. Or, you could play foosball. No sophisticated drinks, but they have tonic water. I love Ernesto, but I don’t share the sentiment for the food there. If you want a nibble, the goan sausages (chorizo) are a good option. You can walk in any time of the day, and sometimes you can find people discussing everything from the stock market to football to law here. I've been guilty of the latter!

Viva Viva Panjim!

When it’s dinner time, one of the best restaurants to get the Goan experience is the heritage home of Linda Aunty. Linda D’Souza is the proprietor of Viva Panjim, behind the Mary Immaculate School, on 31st January Road. Its slightly off the road, a small lane off 31st January Road takes you to the cheery venue. A board on the main road will help you find your way. Linda Aunty is always smiling, and the waiters are always helpful. The service can sometimes be painfully slow, but if you’re in a hurry, there’s no point going there anyway. Avoid sitting in the AC room, the best place to sit is outside, under the stars. Order your drink, ask what’s the catch of the day and order it rava fried. Ask the waiter for a bowl of red chutney on the side, which is the rechado masala paste (pronounced reshaad). Rechado masala can also be smeared on your fish and then fried, which is also good, but I tend to think it ruins the taste of the fish. If you want to try rechado fry, ask for mackerels rechado. Mackerels, being oily fish, have a bit of an odour of their own which is masked quite well with the masala. If you aren’t used to eating fish, however, be wary about the mackerel because it’s a bit of an acquired taste.

When I’m at Viva Panjim, there’s nothing I like better than a vodka lime cordial and some fresh red snapper (tamuso) rava fried. You can also have the calamari (squid), white snapper (morso) and crabs. Fried crabs always seem to absorb too much oil and so I’m not a big fan. I prefer crab masala in a thick coconut-onion gravy.

This is usually enough for me, but if you want the whole hog, as a main course the Chicken Xacuti (pronounced Shakoothi) is spicy and delicious. Xacuti is the most popular of Goan gravies – roasted onion and coconut is pasted along with a generous helping of garlic, cloves, peppercorns and coriander seeds. The meat is then cooked in the paste – upon cooking, the paste becomes a darkish brown and acquires a thick, creamy texture on account of the coconut. Xacuti is made with Chicken, Mutton and in its vegetarian avatar with kabuli chana, masoor, or (my favourite) monsoon mushrooms (almi) is called Thonak. The best accompaniment to Xacuti is Unno or Pao, which are brought piping hot to your table at Viva Panjim, almost straight out of the oven. The meat doesn’t seem to have been cooked in the Xacuti paste and that’s my only grouse against it, really.

For the people with cast iron stomachs, you can try a Vindaloo. Vindaloo is traditionally made from a paste of red chilies and vinegar – the red chilies are set to soak in the vinegar overnight and are then pasted on a stone. Spicy is an understatement. Ask for less gravy because there’s no way you’re going to eat that spice paste anyway. Vindaloo is best had with rice and lots and lots of water.

There’s never any rush at Viva Panjim, it opens real early (about 6pm) for dinner and it’s a great place to chatter away with old friends or sip a beer while reading a book.

Fontainhas feedings

Fontainhas, Panjim, is one of my favourite spaces in Goa. Small roads go through a sleepy collection of houses, painted in deep bright colours. As you walk around the lanes and admire the Portuguese architecture, you can enjoy the breeze and even the sounds of violin and piano from the windows of diligent children doing their afternoon practice. You can stroll around for hours, enjoying the heritage and stopping at the church, and going up the hill to the Maruti temple.

On your way, near the Mary Immaculate School, you can have a choriz pao as a small snack. Chorizo, or the Goan sausage, is pork spiced with chilli, vinegar and garlic, and served with Goan crusty bread. As you walk around Goa, you might just have to make way for the Poder, or bread vendor, who rides around on a cycle and uses his horn to attract potential customers, stopping only at the sound of “hey, poder!” from the window. The Poder has three types of bread, largely – Pao, the bigger brother of the bread that’s used in Vada Paos, Unno, or the crusty buns, and Polis, which are thick Pita breads. The Choriz are fried and chopped into small pieces and the spicy tangy meat is stuffed into the Unno. The Choriz-pao guy sells his goods from what looks like a bhelpuri stall, so keep your eye out.

You can have a cup of coffee at Panjim Inn, at the balcony eatery on its first floor. The wooden floor, cane furniture and the shade provided by the surrounding trees lull you into a sense of absolute comfort. Order a pot of tea, or maybe a beer, curl up with a book and while away your time. It's also a great place for a late breakfast.

A taste of Goa

I am asked to write this blog when I am reclining in Goa, on holiday with my wisdom tooth. What better place to start writing a blog on food?

When in Goa, stick to Goan food and you shall never be disappointed. There are several places where you can get fare which is closer to home – whatever is home for you. There’s good Gujarati fare at Shravan and at Hotel Fidalgo in Panaji, both on 18th June Road, and Delhi Darbar in the heart of Panaji City cooks up mean kababs and butter chicken. If these look like appetizing options to you, don’t waste more time on this blog post.

Yes, Goa is all about sea food. And meat. The vegetarian food options are many, contrary to most notions. But to start with, my city – Panjim. I'll profile a few restaurants close to my heart - both for the memories and the great food. So Enjoy!