Solkadi is a coconut based curry which is commonly eaten in Goa with rice, and also sometimes drunk after meals. Solkadi is known to be a great digestive because of the kokum used in it.
Goan Specialities
Prawn Curry
Who doesn’t love Prawns? I always remember how when I was a child I would save up all the prawns for the end of the meal so that I could enjoy them slowly once I was done eating all the other boring food…lol 😛 And now I can say that my daughter too is crazy about Prawns.
We have also been lucky that in-spite of being out of Goa for the last 10 years, we have managed to get good quality of prawns wherever we have gone. There are so many different varieties of dishes that can be made with prawns. You can make rice dishes like Pulav and Biryani, appetizers like butter garlic prawns, prawns dangar or prawns pockets, curries like prawns curry, prawns masala, prawns balchaon; dry items like prawns Sukhe…this is just to name a few.
Here I present to you the famous Goan Prawns Curry…
Prawns Dangar
Prawns dangar is the Goan version of Prawns cutlets. It serves as a great appetizer or can also be served as a part of the main course. It uses all simple ingredients and is extremely easy to make.
Categories: Appetizers/Starters, Dry dishes, Main Course
Tags: Cutlet, Prawn, Seafood, Semolina
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Mixed Veggies Tonak
Tonak is a very popular dish in the Goan cuisine in the which the legumes or peas or veggies are cooked in a coconut based gravy. This particular recipe uses vegetables. You can also replace them with legumes like red cow peas, whole masoor dal, green peas. There are also non-vegetarian versions of this recipe made with crabs, prawns or clams. We will post one of them soon.
In Goa, tonak is usually eaten with Pav. But it tastes good with rotis or rice too.
Note:
- I have used the above measurements of spices several times in India with perfect results. However, sometimes the spices are much stronger (for e.g in the Gulf where I live now). In that case you might want to reduce the spices. I usually reduce the stronger spices by around 25% when I make this curry in Bahrain.
- You may increase or decrease the chillies based on what suits your taste.
Categories: Dals & Curries, Main Course, Main Course, Vegetarian
Tags: Carrot, Cauliflower, Coconut, Green Peas, Potato, Tonak
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Shepuche Pole (Dill Leaves Dosa)
Dill leaves have several health benefits. This is a very simple and delicious dosa recipe which I had always loved as a kid and now my daughter loves it too. It is a great option for breakfast and a good tiffin box option too.
I believe that it tastes best with Butter.
Categories: Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast/Snacks, Snacks, Snacks, Vegetarian
Tags: Coconut, Dill leaves, Dosa, Dosa Rice, Jaggery
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Bangdyachi Uddamethi (Mackerel Curry)
The word Uddamethi comes from two words- Udda (Urad Dal) and methi (Fenugreek seeds). Bangdo is Mackerel in konkani. This delicious Goan curry which is made with mackerel has a unique taste because of the use of urad dal and fenugreek seeds.
Categories: Dals & Curries, Main Course
Tags: Coconut, Fenugreek Seeds, Mackerel, Methi Seeds, Urad Dal
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Amlechi Uddamethi (Goan Raw Mango Curry)
The word Uddamethi comes from two words- Udda (Urad Dal) and methi (Fenugreek seeds). Amli is raw mango in konkani. This preparation does not use onion and garlic and hence is commonly made on festivals and special occasions which call for pure veg (without onion and garlic) recipes.
This recipe can also be prepared using Ambade (Spondias, hog plums, Spanish plums, libas). In Goa, Amlechi Uddamethi is commonly eaten with Rice.
Categories: Dals & Curries, Main Course, Main Course, No onion no garlic
Tags: Coconut, Festivals, Raw Mango
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Pav (Dinner Rolls)
Being away from home (Goa) for the past 10 years, I have realized that it is impossible to get the kind of Pav (Dinner Rolls) you get in Goa anywhere else. We have always longed for the Goan pav and missed the horn of the Poder (the man who goes around on the cycle selling Pav). Goans will know exactly what I mean 🙂
Yes, I was missing Pav and I had to do something about it. After 2-3 unsuccessful attempts and improvisations after every attempt, I was able to make soft an fluffy pavs comparable to the ones you get in Goa. I cannot explain how wonderful it is to eat freshly baked pav out of the oven with a dollop of butter. With every attempt, I make some more improvisations to it and will keep updating the recipe card accordingly. But for those who want to try Pav at home, go ahead and hope you get perfect Pav for your Pav Bhaji or to eat with Tonak(Goan curry) or Chicken Xacuti 🙂 Please let us know how they turn out and also share pictures if possible. Also, leave a comment in case of any confusion in the steps, and we will clarify it. After all, everyone deserves to eat good Pav 🙂
- Make sure that you do not use hot water with yeast and sugar as hot water would kill the yeast. Use warm water. I placed the water in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
- To get good pav, kneading well is very important as kneading helps in developing of gluten in the pav and makes it stretchy and elastic. Well developed gluten is important to allow the carbon dioxide released by the yeast to be held within the dough helping it to rise.
- Use a tray which has a good height. When I made pav for the first time, my cloth got stuck to the risen dough and while separating the cloth from the tray, the dough got deflated 🙁
Categories: Breads, Naans and Parathas, Breakfast, Breakfast/Snacks, Main Course
Tags: All-Purpose flour, Yeast
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Chicken Xacuti
Chicken Xacuti is a traditional goan curry made with a combination of several roasted spices and coconut and is very flavorful. It can also be made with mutton instead of chicken.
In Goa, this delicious curry is generally eaten with Pav. Yesterday I made Chicken Xacuti and decided to make Pav(Dinner rolls) at home along with it. It tuned out awesome. Give it a try and let us know how you like this Goan curry.
Notes:
- You can increase or reduce the spices based on how strong they are. For e.g in the Gulf where I live now the spices are stronger so I have to use fewer of them as compared to what I would have used in India. The recipe I have posted here is the one I follow in Bahrain.
- You can increase or decrease the chillies based on how spicy they are.
Alsanyache (Red Cow Peas) Tonak
Tonak is a very popular dish in the Goan cuisine in the which the legumes or peas are cooked in a coconut based gravy. This particular recipe uses red cow peas also called as Alsane in Goa. You can also replace them with whole masoor dal, green peas or also vegetables like mushrooms, cauliflower etc. There are also non-vegetarian versions of this recipe made with crabs, prawns or clams. We will post one of them soon.
In Goa, tonak is usually eaten with Pav. But it tastes good with rotis or rice too.
Note:
- I have used the above measurements of spices several times in India with perfect results. However, sometimes the spices are much stronger (for e.g in the Gulf where I live now). In that case you might want to reduce the spices. I usually reduce the stronger spices by around 25% when I make this curry in Bahrain.
Categories: Dals & Curries, Main Course, Main Course, Vegetarian
Tags: Alsane, Coconut, Red Cow Peas, Tonak
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