Rechad-Masala Mackerels

Rechad-Masala Mackerels

(Rechad masala is the much sort-after Goan specialty red masala or spice-paste you stuff the fish with & either pan-fry, grill or BBQ-by-the-beach! Oooh Yeah!!!!)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15 Min 2 25 Min

Ingredients:

4 medium size mackerels or white pomfrets
salt & lime juice for marinade
4-6 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp cloves
1 Tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 Tbsp bright red paprika pwd
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
6-8 garlic cloves - chopped
1/2 inch ginger piece - chopped
1tsp salt
2 tbsp vinegar


Cooking Instructions:

Ensure the fish cavity is cleaned. Run a sharp knife into the fish making pockets on either side of the backbone of the fish. You can even make 3-4 lateral grooves on either side of the fish - don't run the knife right into the bone, just about 3/4 way in. Apply salt & lime juice to the fish & set aside for 15-20 mins. Grind all the other ingredients to a paste except the oil. Wash the fish & smear the ground paste all over the fish - inside the pockets, inside the fish cavity & all over the outside too. You can let it sit & marinade for a while. Shallow-fry, grill or bbq for 6mins on each side. Serve with lemon wedges, onion rings and potato-chips/ fries.

Goan green-masala-stuffed grilled pomfret

Goan green-masala-stuffed grilled pomfret

(Heavenly if grilled by the beach, this Goan style green-masala grilled fish is easily one of my most FAV recipes of all time!)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4-6 20Min

Ingredients :

4 small white pomfrets or 2 big ones
salt, pepper & lime-juice to marinade

For the masala:
1 bunch mint leaves
1.5 bunch coriander leaves
2 large onions chopped
1 tsp garlic-ginger paste
salt to taste
oil to cook
1/4 cup tamrind extract
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cinnamom pwd
1/4 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

Cooking Instructions :

Remove everything from inside the fish cavity- wash well. Make a slit about 2cm away from & along the top edge (away from the stomach cavity) and run your knife in gently to form a pocket. Repeat on the other side. Do this for each whole fish. Rub lime, salt & pepper all over & inside the fish grooves & cavity for 1/2-1 hour. Grind the leaves with a little water to a paste. Fry onions in oil till light grown, add the garlic ginger paste & powder spices & fry well. Then add the tamarind & vinegar along with salt to taste. Add the leafy paste & fry for 2 minutes. Wash the fish & apply this masala all over & inside the fish grooves & cavity & set aside for 10-15 mins. Spray oil on the fish & grill open until it is cooked.

Tomato Meatball Stew

Tomato meatball stew

(Meatballs in a healthy veg. stew with a tangy-peppery taste that hits the soul!)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4-6 20Min

Ingredients :

1. 1/2kg or 1lb minced meat/chicken
2. 1 tsp garlic-ginger paste
3. salt & pepper to taste
4. 1/2 tsp each of haldi/turmeric pwd, garam masala (all spice) pwd n coriander pwd
5. 1 finely chopped green chili or 1/2 tsp red chili pwd
6. optional 1 tsp vinegar
7. 1 medium onion - finely chopped/ minced
8. 2 large chopped onions
9. 2-3 red dried chilies
10. 1 half-inch cinnamon stick
11. 3 large ripe tomatoes - chopped
12. salt to taste
13. 1/2 tsp pepper pwd
14. 1/2 tsp cumin pwd
15. 1-2 cups cubed potatoes & carrots plus cauliflower florets


Cooking Instructions :

For the meatballs, mix ingredients 1 to 7 above and make 1" meat balls with the mixture - pressing tightly in your palm n then shaping. Set aside. For the stew, fry ingredients 8 to 14 above in 1tbsp oil in a pressure cooker in the order listed, frying well after adding each item. Cook till tomatoes soften, then put in the meatballs and vegetables & add water to just about cover the meatballs. Close and cook for 1 whistle in the pressure cooker or until the meat is cooked. Serve with bread, croutons or rice.

This stew can also work as a base for a gravy of your choice - a tomato and cream based buttery gravy (makhni) or one with coconut milk, etc..

Goan Xacuti

Goan Xacuti

(A Goan meat curry made of either chicken, lamb, beef or pork in a spicy dark-brown gravy made from freshly roasted spices)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 20-40Min

Ingredients :

800 gms chicken or any meat
2 medium onions
1 cup grated coconut
1 inch sticks of cinnamon
6 cloves
4 dry red chillies
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp of peppercorns
1 tsp of fennel seeds (saunf)
4 Star-shaped black spice
1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup groundnut oil
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of tamarind pulp
¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Cooking Instructions :

Wash skinless chicken and cut to small (12 total) pieces. Peel and chop the onions. Heat a little oil and slightly brown the grated coconut and keep aside. Then dry roast cinnamon, cloves, red chillies, turmeric, khus khus, ajwain, cumin seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, star anise and coriander seeds till a nice aroma is given out. Grind to a paste together with a little water, the garlic and coconut. Heat the remaining oil in a thick-bottomed pan and fry the onions till brown. Add the masala paste 2 tbsp at a time, stirring well in between, and cook till oil separates. Add the chicken pieces and saute for sometime. Add two cups of water and salt, bring to a boil. Add tamarind pulp and grated nutmeg. Simmer until meat cooks and serve hot with boiled rice or pav.

Goan Vindaloo

Goan Vindaloo

(A spicy vinegar-based dark-red Goan meat curry made of either chicken, lamb, beef or pork)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 20-40Min

Ingredients :1 kg. meat (chicken/beef/mutton/pork)
2 medium potatoes cut into 8 pcs each.

For Seasoning:
3 tbsp. ghee
few curry leaves
1 small onion- finely sliced
Salt to taste

For Vindaloo Masala:
1/2 tsp peppercorns
3 tsp. jeera/cumin
12 small dry kashmiri chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cardamoms
10 cloves garlic
2-3 tbsp. Vinegar

Cooking Instructions :

Grind the masala ingredients to a smooth paste (No water, just vinegar). Cut and wash the medium size meat pieces. Heat oil & fry onion till brown, add curryr leaves and stir. Fry in the masala - Stir frequently. Now add meat and salt to taste. Cover & cook -Toss gently from time to time to cook meat evenly & ensure it does not burn. Boil the potatoes, peel and cut into fours. Add them to the meat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until till meat is cooked. Serve with plain white rice.

Goan Fish Curry

Goan Fish Curry

(A dark- orange spicy yet tangy Goan Fish curry, rite outta mom's kitchen!)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15Min 6 20Min

Ingredients :

1 kg fish slices (white or black pomfret, kingfish, atlantic salmon)
salt & turmeric to marinate
1 tsp turmeric
1/s tsp cumin
1/2 tsp peppercorn
4 garlic cloves
1 small chopped onion
6 dried red chilies
2 tbsp coriander seeds
6 tbsp fresh grated/ powdered coconut
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 ripe tomatoes or 1/2 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 slit green chili
1 sprig curry leaves


Cooking Instructions :

Wash fish & add 2 tbsp salt & tsp turmeric - toss & leave to marinate for 30-45 mins.
Grind the coconut, red chilies, pepper, jeera/cumin, turmeric/haldi, coriander seeds, onion& garlic with water to a smooth paste. Chop tomatoes & place in a thick-bottom vessel with oil - THEN, heat it. When its soft, add the ground masala 2 tbsp at a time, stirring constantly & frying well in between. Add 1 cup water & leave to boil. Wash fish well & add to boiling gravy. Then add the tamarind, slit chili & vinegar & simmer open until fish is cooked, toss in the curry leaves & simmer for few seconds.

Hint: keep some washed fish pieces aside to fry: Toss them with 1/4-1/2 tsp each of pepper, turmeric, cumin & red-chili powders & shallow fry.

Traditional Goan Batk or Semolina Cake

Goan Batk or Semolina Cake

(A Goan rich semolina cake in my mom's version with easy-to-rem ingredient quantities )
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15Min 6 60Min

Ingredients :

1 cup sugar
1 cup suji/ rawa
1 cup butter
1 cup maida
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup eggs (abt 4-5)
(SEE HOW EASY IT IS SO FAR!! - 1 CUP EACH)

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp almond/vanilla essence
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
1/2 tsp cinnamon pwd
(AGAIN, SO EASY - ALL 1/2 tsp!!)

Cooking Instructions :

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth cake batter - add a little milk if required but the batter should be thick - not too liquid n flowy or creamy. Let it stand for 15mins. Pour the batter into an 9" X 9" X 3" greased and floured cake tin - Tap the tin gently few times on a flat surface to remove air bubbles. Bake in a moderate oven, (350 F) for about 1 hour, or till done. Cool & cut into diamond shape pieces.

Meatball curry

Meatball curry

(A Goan recipe for healthy meatballs in a thick spicy onion & tomato based gravy)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15Min 4 15Min

Ingredients :

1. 1/2kg or 1lb minced meat
2. 1 tsp garlic-ginger paste
3. salt & pepper to taste
4. 1/2 tsp each of haldi/turmeric pwd, garam masala (all spice) pwd n coriander pwd
5. 1 finely chopped green chili or 1/2 tsp red chili pwd
6. optional 1 tsp vinegar
7. 1 medium onion - finely chopped/ minced
8. 2 large chopped onions
9. 2-3 red dried chilies
10. 1 half-inch cinnamon stick
11. 3 large ripe tomatoes - chopped
12. salt to taste
13. 1/2 tsp pepper pwd
14. 1/2 tsp cumin pwd
15. 2 tbsp ghee/ clarified butter
16. 1/2 tsp each pf turmeric pwd
17. 1/2 tsp red-chili pwd
18. 1/2 tsp cumin pwd
19. 1/2 tsp pepper pwd
20. 1 cup minced/ finely chopped onions
21. 1/2 cup tomato puree/ paste
22. 2 tbsp vinegar
23. 2 tbsp coriander pwd
24. 1 tbsp tamarind juice/paste
25. salt and lime as reqd.
26. chopped coriander to garnish.
27. 1/2 cup full-cream coconut milk


Cooking Instructions :

For the meatballs, mix ingredients 1 to 7 and make 1" meat balls with the mixture - pressing tightly in your palm n then shaping. Set aside. For the gravy, fry ingredients 8 to 14 above in 1tbsp oil in a pressure cooker in the order listed, frying well after adding each item. Cook till tomatoes soften, then add the meatballs & enough water to cover them all. Gently toss spices around the meatballs. Close and cook for 1 whistle in the pressure cooker or till meat is cooked.

For the gravy, fry onions in ghee, then add the turmeric, coriander, red-chili, pepper pwds. Fry well & then add the tomato puree & fry well. Add coconut milk 2tbsp at a time, stirring gently & constantly. Add the meatballs with the soup from the cooker, boil for 2-3 minutes & then simmer for 2-3 minutes after adding salt, sugar, vinegar & tamarind to your taste. Garnish with coriander.

Spicy Goan Lamb Chops

Spicy Goan Lamb Chops

(A spicy recipe for lamb chops cooked in vinegar & wine and a rich assortment of traditional Goan whole spices)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
30Min 4 30 Min


Ingredients :

8 flat lamb ribs (bone along 1 edge/side)
4 whole red dried chilies
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp red chili pwd
4 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 inch cinnamon stick
6 cardamoms
1 large chopped onion
6 garlic cloves
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 tsp pepper pwd
4tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
1 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp red wine or brandy (as per taste)
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves/ cilantro - chopped


Cooking Instructions:

Wash the meat & marinate with turmeric, red chili pwd, pepper pwd, cumin pwd, lime juice, garlic ginger paste & 1 tsp salt for atleast half an hour (longer is better - overnight is the best!)

In a pressure cooker/ thick bottom non-stick vessel, heat oil, fry onions till soft & then add chopped/ crushed garlic & fry well. Toss in the whole spices - cardamon, red chilies, cinnamon, pepper corns & 1 tsp salt - fry well & then add tomato puree. Fry well before adding the meat & vinegar - toss well till the meat is well covered with the spices. Pour 1/4 cup water in along with the alcohol & toss well. Cover and cook until meat is done (1 whistle & 20 mins in a pressure cooker; 40-45 mins otherwise). Open, toss in curry leaves and cilantro, stir & simmer till dry.

Goan Potato Chops

Goan Potato Chops

(An authentic Goan appetizer of potato patties with minced-meat stuffing)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15 Min 6 15Min


Ingredients :

3 large potatoes - boiled, peeled & smashed.
250 gms minced meat (beef or your choice)
1 cup boiled and finely chopped vegs (or frozen peas & cut carrots, capsicum/bell peppers)
1/2 cup chopped coriander
1/4 tsp pepper pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
1 tbsp vinegar
1 chopped green chili
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg - beaten
salt to taste
cooking oil


Cooking Instructions:

In a pan, heat oil, fry onion well & then add the garlic-ginger paste & salt & fry for 30 secs. Then add the other spices & chillies, fry well before you toss in the mince. Add 1/4 cup water & cover and cook until mince is almost done. Then, toss in the veggies & coriander, add salt to taste & the vinegar. Cook covered till vegs are tender & then simmer open till the mince dries up completely.

Add salt (to taste) to your mashed potato & mix well. Take a golf-ball size ball of the mashed potato in a moist hand & press to make a bowl in your rounded palm. Place a tbsp of the mince in it & with moist fingers of the other hand, fold in the edges of the potato bowl & seal well. Gently flatten & roll the edge on your palm to get a round, flat cutlet about 1 inch thick & 3 inches in diameter. Repeat with the rest & place the cutlets in the fridge to set for 5 minutes.

Roll the cutlets in beaten egg & into the breadcrumbs, covering evenly. Shallow-fry till golden-brown on each side & then serve hot with ketchup or any sauce of your choice.

Goan Green Chicken Curry

Goan Green Chicken curry

(An authentic Goan chicken curry of mint, coconut & coriander!)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 4 15Min


Ingredients :

1 full chicken cut to medium pieces (1000-1100gms in all)
1/2 tsp garlic ginger paste
2 sprigs curry leaves
salt to taste
6 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 green chillies
1 cup mint leaves
2-3 cups coriander leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp pepper corns
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
2 large onions chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped coriander to garnish
1 tsp sugar
cooking oil
1 1-2" cinnamon stick
2 dried red chilies
4-5 cardamoms


Cooking Instructions:

In a mixer, grind the coconut, coriander, mint, some salt, sugar, turmeric, pepper corns, cumin, half the onions & green chilies into a paste, adding water a little at a time till you get a smooth paste. Fry the remaining onions in hot oil & then add garlic-ginger paste, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, whole red chilies and fry well. Add the ground masala/spices 2 tbsp at a time, frying well. Add washed chicken pieces & fry well for 2-3 minutes. Throw in the curry leaves, add 2 cups water, cover & cook till the chicken is done (1 whistle on high flame & simmer for 5 mins in pressure cooker). Garnish with chopped coriander & serve with steamed rice.

Goan Banana Fritters

Goan Banana Fritters

(An Indian sweet snack from the state of Goa - basically, banana pancakes)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5 Min 8 20Min

Ingredients :

6 bananas
2-3 cups milk
2 eggs
6-8 tbsp sugar (more if bananas aren't too ripe & sweet)
1tbsp clarified butter/ ghee
1 cup all purpose floor/ maida (or whole wheat flour for a healthy option)
oil to pan-fry the pancakes or oil-spray

Cooking Instructions:
Mix all the above ingredients (except oil) using an egg beater or with your hand, adding milk last, a little by little till the right consistency in reached - not too fluid, yet not too stiff; should flow like a thick sauce. Spray/grease your non-stick pay & heat to medium. Spread a large tablespoon full of the batter into a round pancake of about 6" diameter & repeat as many times as you can in 1 pan. Flip over after 3-4 minutes or when its done on 1 side & cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Toss off onto paper-towels & carry on with the next batch (batches) till the batter is over.

Tips: You can try these variations to the above recipe: Add 1/2 cup semolina/suji/rawa or 4 tbsp lightly boiled oats (very healthy) to the batter. You can even add 1/2 tsp cinnamon/ cardamom powder or even 4 tbsp sweet chocolate powder to the batter, as additional flavor options.