Pasta with Ham, Prawns and Mushrooms

A quick and easy pasta dish that is deliciously good, Perfect for those work weekdays. You can have dinner ready in no time. You will need for this recipe:

Ingredients:

Pasta
8 Prawns
200 grm Ham (Finely Cubed)
10 Mushrooms
1 Onion
2 Garlic Pods (Finely Cut)
200 gm Pasata Sauce (Bottled)
100 gm Cheese
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Butter
Salt

Cook the Pasta in water with salt as per instruction and drain the water; set aside for later use.

Saute some garlic in butter and then immediately add finely cut onion , fry for a minute or two with some Olive oil and then add ham; cook them till they start releasing the fat. Add the cleaned prawns and continue to cook the prawns until nicely pink. Now add the mushroom and cook for 3 minutes.

At this stage add the Pasata sauce and mix everything well. Taste and season the sauce with salt. Now add the pasta and continue to mix all the ingredient and ensure the sauce is coating the pasta well. Add Cheese and Serve.

Fish Jeere Meere

The Fish Jeere Meere is usaully prepared as a semi curry with not much Liquid. Its usually served as a side dish along with Rice (In Goan Konkani Language would be called as Tonnak). A Spicy and Tangy Curry.

This dish is quite easy to prepare and usually most Goan homes have a five spice mix called the Jeere Meere Spice Mix just like the Chinese Five spice mix. This five spice Mix has Turmeric, Cinnamon sticks, Cumin, Black Pepper and Cloves. The name of the spice mix comes from the Cumin (Jeere) and Meere (Black Pepper), its a dry spice mix and usually prepared and stored in bottles or air tight containers for future use.

In Goan Hindu cooking there is a similar named Curry (Khadi) but this is not the same as the dish im presenting now, its usually similar to what Goan Catholic prepare as Red Curry. Both the Masalas go with the same name because of the two main ingredients Jeere and Meere but are totally different curries, both are good curries to enjoy with Rice.

The Spice Mix has these 5 spices ground to fine dry paste and in equal measures except cloves (Needs to be half of the pepper portion).

1. Turmeric

2. Cinnamon

3. Cummin
4. Black Pepper
5. Cloves

Ground the spices and store in a air tight container. You can prepare a small batch or a large batch based on your requirement. Ensure to thoroughly dry the spices in sun to ensure a good mix that last longer.

The Curry Preparation.

Marinate fish of choice in Salt (best fish is Sardines, Mullets (Shevte), King Fish, Pomfret or Sea Bass). In this recipe I have used Sea Bass (as called Dorade in European countries). Goes really well in this Jeere Meere recipe.

In a pan fry one finely chopped onion till translucent or golden in Oil and add finely chopped 3 large green chilies (Medium Spice), Fry for a minute and then add chopped tomatoes and continue to fry the mixture. Now add a 2 tsp of ginger Garlic paste and mix thoroughly.

In a small bowl add tamarind in water and let it soften 1/2 cup of water.

Now add at least 4 kokum skins (Kokum Sola) and some 1/2 tsp of turmeric. Mix well, at this stage you should have a thick sauce of spice mixture. To this add 2 tsp of Jeere Meere spice and stir to mix everything. Once mixed add to this half of the tamarind water (after you have mashed the din water). Finally to prepare the sauce ass a tsp of brown sugar and mix well.

Let this sauce come to a boil and then add the Fish marinated in Salt to the thick sauce. Ensure that you lightly place the fish on top of the sauce and do not mix, let it cook with the heat by covering the lid and turning the heat to very low for about 8 minutes.

Turn the fish at this time once to ensure both sides are cooked. If the sauce is too thick add additional tamarind water and let it sizzle for a minute until the oils starting floating on the top and that is when you know the Jeere Meere fish curry is ready.

Garnish with Coriander and Serve with Rice. Enjoy!!!


Note: If you do not have either Kokum or Tamrind. White or Balsamic Vinegar should be a good substitute as savouring agent.

Prawn Curry (Goan Red Curry)

This is one dish that a Goan can eat almost everyday and cant get bored of. Its a Red curry, that is so simple yet so tasty. Goans love it so much that we have umpteen variations on this basic curry. The variations are not to Masala itself but whats added to this Curry during the Preparation

What you see above is the Prawn curry, on another day you can add fish (Kingfish, Mackerel, Sardines and other small fish), the next day eggs, the next day crabs, Clams, Dry salted fish, Dry Prawns, Raw Mango, Raddish, Aubergines, Lady Fingers and on and on......or simply a combination of the ingredients for added taste and when there is nothing you can think, its cooked with nothing, just the Masala and is known as Sourak.,which than becomes just a curry and than you accompany that with rice and some side dish of fish or vegetables, just like the Indian Thali.


To prepare this mouth watering curry you need

3-4 tbs of Red Curry Masala
8-10 Prawns (Cleaned and de-veined)
1 Chili (medium spice, sliced length wise)
1 Onion (Chopped)
1/2 Tomato (Chopped finely)
Salt
Oil

Heat some oil in a vessel and fry the onions until golden then add the chili and tomatoes and stir to mix well and cook for about 3 minutes.  Now add the prawns and cook for a few more minutes so that the prawns release its juices and start to cook.

At this stage add the Red curry Paste and mix well, fry the mixture for a minute and then add 1 and a 1/2 cup of water.

Let the curry simmer in a closed vessel for 10 minutes, check the curry by opening the lid. The oil should start separating and floating on the top. if its got too thick add a little dash of water, mix and let it boil a minute and take off the heat.

Serve with Rice and Enjoy!!! Here I have served my rice curry with a side Dish of Mussel chili fry cooked in grated fresh coconut. This is another common dish but that is for another day.

Cafreal de Galinha

Have you been to Goa and experienced Goan Food, than you will instantly recognize this dish, called  Cafreal de Galinha or Chicken Cafreal. Its a tantalising dish that is quite popular in Goa at Restaurants or local Goan Homes. The history and the origins of this dish is quite fascinating.

The Dish or the preparation style of Cafreal is believed to have been originated in the far west off the coast of Goa in what was known as Kafraria in the present day Southern Mozambique and North east of Modern day South Africa. The People inhabiting this place were known as Kafirs by the Arabs before any European coloniser had arrived in Africa. The Term Kafir itself was used by the Arabs to indicate any people who did not believe in Islamic God.

When the Portuguese arrived in 1498, the Portuguese continued to call these people Cafre in Portuguese Lanaguage. Cafreal refers to the people of Cafraria or Cafre people. This naming was introduced by the Portuguese to its other colonies in Asia, in present day Goa. To this day Goans refer to people of African Origin as Khapri in their local Konkani Language and similarly in other Portuguese colonies like Srilanka.  Thus the dish is aptly named Cafreal, indicating its origins. Its also believed that Cafreal is another take on the famous Piri Piri Chicken that also has its origin in Mozambique and has Portuguese Colonial Influences. The Cafreal evolved as an offshoot of this dish where it got developed by adding other Indian Spices and Herbs got added like Coriander that gives it a rich green colour as it travelled with the Portuguese explorers.

Cafreal now is closely associated with Goan Cuisine rather than African as its evolved significantly than its original counter part, the Piri Piri. In some parts of the world there will be no distinction between these two types of dishes and simply known as Piri Piri. However in Goa they are two distinct dishes, Piri Piri is Red and Cafreal as Green. 

Cafreal is generally cooked in a BBQ style, whether grilled over fire or in a Pan. However in Goa this Cafreal spice mix has given rise to other dishes like the Chicken Green curry using Cocounut milk or Beef Green curry, of course with some variations to suit each dish being prepared.

Now you know the historical evolution of this, it makes even more intriguing to try it on.

Egg Patties/Puffs

Ingredients:

Boiled Eggs

Puff Pastry

Onions

Chillie

Butter

Boiled egg stuffed with Caramelised Onion. Pastry is ready made bought from the Super Market. A super Quick snack that can be made easily if you have the pastry ready in the fridge.

Preperation:

Boil eggs in water for 5 minutes. Now peel, clean and keep the eggs aside. Next slice a onion and saute it with a 2 tsp of butter, add finely chopped chillie and keep aside. Now cut your pastry in rectangles that can be folder into a square shape when the egg and onion is filled in.

Now cut the boiled eggs into halves and lay some caramelized onion and lay into the cut pastry, put the egg on top of it and fold one side of the pastry to cover it, forming a casing. 

Preheat the oven on full mark for 5 minutes and put the pastry into the oven. The pastry will rise immediately, keep a watch on the colour of the pastry and let it turn nice golden brown, thats when you know they are done.

Sea Bass (Dorade) Cooked Two Ways

Turn this Dorade (Seabass) into these superb fish curries you see above, to be enjoyed with Rice.

Dorade is delectable fish found throughout Europe and readily available in most super markets, goes really well in these Goan fish curries by rendering its rich flavor to the curries. Fish lovers will enjoy this two way cooked Dorade. One Half of the fish was used to make the Jeere Meere (Traditionaly cooked in a thick Curried Sauce). Recipe for Jeere Meere is available here.

and the other half was used to make the Goan Red Fish Curry (Used the middle to head part of the Fish).

For Preparing the Red Curry.

Ingredients

1 Small Onion

1/2 of the Fish 

1/2 Tomato

4-5 Tbs of Red Curry Paste

1 Chili (Slit across)

Coriander for Garnish

Oil

Salt the Fish and marinate for 10 -20 minutes. Mean while in a pan add oil and fry the finely cut onion till golden, to this add tomatoes and continue to fry. Then add chili and curry paste and mix well and fry the mixture a minute or two.

Now add 1 and 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil the curry. Once the curry is boiling slowly add the fish and cover the pan and let cook for 10-15 minutes. At this time the curry will thicken and oil starts to appear on the top. when this happens the curry us ready. If its too thick add a little water and boil a minute and take off the gas. Garnish with Corinder chopped finely.

Fish Caldine (Caldinha de Peixe)

Another dish that is tightly connected to the Portuguese Influence on Goan Cooking as the Portuguese were in Goa for over 450 year until 1961, having arrived in the year 1510 AD and making Goa their HQ for the Asian Trading Center controlling trade with Srilanka, Macua, Malaysia and  through to Japan in the far east. 

This dish is a blend of European and Indian cooking, in the way that its lightly spiced Stew cooked in Coconut Milk. Caldine or Caldinho means stew in Portuguese. It has traveled with the Portuguese to other regions that Portugal traded with in Asia. In Kerala with whom the Portuguese traded heavily for spices has a very similar dish called Fish Molee or Molly, indicating a dish coked in coconut sauce as Molho in Portuguese means sauce, possibly corrupting the word (Molho) to Molee or Molly. The true origins of this fish stew are unclear; though its a dish that Goans have come to enjoy very much. This smooth curry using Coconut Milk will surely prick your taste buds as it nicely balances the spice flavors without being heavy on spices and heat. Also a great curry for children who do not like spicy curries.

Goan Vindalho

The Vindalho conjures up memories of Goan life, Holidays at the beach and an instant exotic feeling. This is one Goan dish that essentially sums up the fusion nature of Goan Food. Its also the most romaticised recipe to indicate Portuguese Influence on Goan cooking. However its also a dish that has been awfully dishonored in Britain; knowingly or unknowingly. What is served in many British Indian Restaurant is nowhere close to what this dish is all about.

I have read that this dish has been distorted by British Indian Cooks serving the British people a dish called Vindaloo, a corruption of the name Vindalho. Many cooks think this dish is cooked with potatoes, this can be explained in a simple manner, most Indians outside Goa know potatoes as Aloo. In Goa however, Potatoes are called botat. Since the Vindalho sounds a bit like Aloo at the end and hence most Indians outside Goa relate it as a potato dish when its not and this is also the reason for the name corruption. This has led now to accept both names as valid names for the original name Vindalho. The Vindalho was introduced to the British by Goan cooks that worked in Bombay and other British controlled cities during its long colonial rule in India. By the Time British arrived in India (1800's), Goan people were already Europeanised by Portuguese Christian missionaries and had no religion affiliated restrictions to eating Pork or Beef like most other Indians at the time and hence they chose to employ Goan cooks. As the dish was carried with the Britisher to other places within the Indian sub continent, the name and the dish has been corrupted over time.
Vindaloo is come to be known in UK as the most spiciest of Curries. Its a favorite among young British men wanting to show off their bravado, by proving they can handle the spiciest curry. Vindalho, howerver is anything but the spiciest curry. It is in fact a dish that balances the 3 different taste; Sweet, Sour and Spice. Its a dish that evolved in Goa under the Portuguese Influences since 1510 AD. 

Vindalho originates from the Portuguese way of cooking meat (Carne) in Wine (Vinho) and Garlic (Alho) and has traveled far and wide during the Portuguese Spice voyages in the Far east and Brazil.
At the time when Portuguese landed in Goa (India), there was no wine making culture, the Ingenious cooks at the time substituted Vine with Vinegar made in Goa out of Coconut sap called Toddy, in order to make their food taste a little like home for the early Portuguese sailors and Christian Missionaries from Spain and Portugal.

This mixed with Goan traditions of using other spices like black pepper, Cinnamon gives this dish its unique taste and has evolved over time into this delectable dish. Also the red chilies used are mostly mild chilies, which are known for their fiery red colour but without the pungent heat. Its traditionally made with Pork and the combination is heavenly with vinegar going really well with Pork Flavors. You can also cook this dish with Chicken for equally good experience however my recommendation is to try with Pork. Also the fact the Vindalho to Goans Instantly means the dish is cooked with Pork. Vindalho evolved from a Portuguese tradition of cooking with Wine and Garlic as stated earlier and one such dish that uses this method is Carne de Porco de Alentejana.

I already have a cheats version of Vindalho for those hard pressed for time and want a quick fix recipe, on my Blog but will bring out a recipe soon on the Original.

Recheado Masala

The King of Goan Spice Mixes.......

Have you had Goan food before, if yes, I'm sure you would instantly think of the spicy, tangy and  sweetness perfectly balanced. There's one thing that gives a distinctive taste to Goan food and sets apart this cuisine from the rest of the Indian subcontinent, that's the Recheado Spice Mix.

To make the Masala: You will need the following ingredients

50 Kashmiri Chilies
6-8 Garlic Cloves
4-5 Cloves
2 tsp turmeric powder

2 sticks of Cinnamon 

1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Mustard
1 tsp Black Pepper
A Small Ball of Tamarind (Tiny enough to pass through you index finger and Thumb when you make a circle)
5 Inch Piece of Ginger
2 tsp brown sugar 1 Onion (caramelized by frying in a pan)

Mix all of these ingredients in a mixer jar (Spice Grinder) and grind it to a fine paste by adding 4 tbsp. of Coconut Vinegar. If you don't have goan vinegar, a good substitute will be balsamic vinegar. You can store this mixture in a jar for several weeks in the Fridge.

The Recheado Masala is the King of Goan Spice treasure trove. The word Recheado itself means stuffed in Portuguese Language possibly indicating this masala started life as something made for stuffing or filling (Recheio) like stuffed squid or Mackerel but now is universally used for everything under the sun as its so addictive once you have it. This is the Goan version of Massa De Pimentao, a Portuguese spice mix made with red Bell Peppers. This could well have been the evolution to the Goan Spice mix, you never know. It was long time ago that this Recheado mix was developed, possibly the early 1500's during the early days of Portuguese Sailors and missionaries living in Goa and wanting a taste of Portugal in Goa. 

However, you master this Goan spice mix, then you have opened up yourself to the most delectable of Goan dishes. The most famous of Goan dishes end up using this spice mix in some form or the other. Here's a handful of dishes I can list

1. Recheado stuffed Mackerel
2. Sorpatel
3. Pork Vindalho
4. Stuffed Squid
5. Racheado Fry (Squids, Prawns, Fish)
6. Chouriso
7. Balchao
8. Fish Mole
9. Recheado Grill (Fish, Chicken, Pork)

Peri Peri Chicken (Delicious Chicken Ever)

Have you ever had chicken at Nando's? than you know what Peri-Peri is (Sometimes called Piri-Piri). Nando's have made this portuguese influenced dish originating in Africa world famous. This classic spicy Chicken will get your tongue tingling for sure.

This is yet another dish that the world should thank the Portuguese for their Spice Voyages. The chili that gives this dish its distinctive taste is called the Peri-Peri chili. They have traveled with the Portuguese to Goa as well and is grown locally as Tarvoti chili (Tarvoti meaning a Sailor) possibly implying to be brought by the Portuguese sailors of the time. I vividly remember my Grandmother growing these chilies and sometimes using them to give a spice kick to curries. They are also used to prepare peri-peri chicken but the spice mix varies considerably.

The chilies are bright red in color and about a inch or half an inch long as seen in the picture. To prepare this Peri-Peri Chicken you need to find these chilies. Now a days most supermarkets in Europe have them in small packet. I found these in COOP in Zurich but readily available in other stores too..

Preparing the Peri-Peri Paste:

15-20 Peri-Peri chilies (Can substitute with equivalent hot Red Chili as per your taste)

5 Garlic Cloves

1 Onion

2 tbs Paprika Powder or Kashmiri Chili Powder

3 tbs Olive Oil

3 tbs Vinegar

Lemon Zest

1/2 Lemon (Juice)

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Blend all of the ingredient in a blender and store in a Jar. The Peri-Peri chili is quite fiery, taste the paste and if its too spicy tone it down by adding chopped tomatoes and blending for a additional 1/2 a minute. Note that the paste should be coarse and not a fine paste. This paste stores in a jar (Refrigerated) for a month or even more due to the oil and vinegar in it.

Grilled Chicken:

To prepare grilled Peri-Peri chicken apply 3 tbs of the peri-peri paste to a medium sized or baby chicken and thoroughly massage the paste into the chicken. Let the chicken marinate over night in the fridge (If short on time at least a minimum 30-40 minutes). Grill the chicken till skin is crispy in a oven or a fire grill.

Serve with Salad or Fries. Enjoy this delicious spicy Chicken, You will never go back to bland regular chicken roast.

Goan Potato Chops (Minced beef coated with mashed potato Croquettes)

This is a snack dish commonly prepared in Goa and served as a pre-meal snack. Minced beef cooked in spices is wrapped in a thick layer of mashed potato to form a shape of a croquette, dipped in semolina or bread crumbs. A great recipe for your left over minced beef.

Mashed Potato:
Boil whole potatoes and mash them in bowl. Then add a few pinches of pepper powder, 2 tsp of coriander powder, salt to taste and a pinch of  turmeric powder, mix and keep aside.

Mince Beef preparation: 
Use this recipe to cook the minced beef. do not add potatoes to the mince.

Making the Croquettes:
Now make small balls of minced meat in your hand and coat with the mashed potatoes like seen in the picture, lightly dust in breadcrumbs or semolina.

Then either shallow fried or deep fried. In this picture I have just fried them in very little oil to make them a bit healthier. Fry till lightly brown, when deep fried you will get a nice consistent brown color. Its either had on its own with tomato sauce or in a Pao.

Pasta with Curried Chicken

This is a lovely pasta with curries Chicken that is quick to cook and taste great as well. Perfect for workday dinners.

Ingredients: Serves 2-3 People

1/2kg Chicken Thigh (Cut into bite sized pieces)
2 Large Onions
1 tomato
2 green Chili
2 tbs Garam Masala
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt
Olive oil
Basil leaves
2 tbs Yogurt
Lime

Cooking:

Marinate Chicken with salt, lime and the spice powders along with Yogurt and lime juice and let stand for 10 minutes (30 minutes would be ideal). In a large pan add oil and fry finely chopped onions with finely chopped chili (optional). Once the Onion is nicely browned, add finely chopped tomato, fry for a few minutes. Now you should have a thick sauce consistency mixtures of onion and tomatoes.

At this stage, add the the chicken, fry them for a few minutes and than cook for at least 20 minutes by covering the pan with a lid and adding a cup of water (Mixing it occasionally). In a separate container cook the pasta as per instruction with a little salt and drain the water. Once ready add the pasta to the Chicken and mix thoroughly. Add the basil leaves and serve hot.

Fried Recheado Tarle (Sardines Goan style)

Note: This Recipe uses Recheado masala. Usually in Goa, this is prepared in batches and stored in the refrigerator for several days or Weeks.

Sardines cooked anyways is one of my favorites. My wife showed me this new style of frying Sardine that I never tried before They are stuffed with Recheado just like its older cousins Mackerel Recheado. They are as delightful as the stuffed mackerel.

This method of preparing requires the large size Sardines, which are cleaned and gutted. Then slit on both sides with a small knife making a cutting running from the backbone to the stomach, marinated with salt and then filled with Recheado Masala. Let stand for a 10 minutes, apply Semolina (Optional) and fried in olive oil

Here I have paired these bad boys with simple Spinach Daal (Spinach and Lentil curry) Rice and tomato salsa salad. Simple things go well with other simple things.

Goan Prawns Fried with lightly coated Racheado and Semolina

Try this simple yet delicious Prawns. These prawns can be had as an appetiser or along with Rice Curry. The aroma of this dish itself will make your mouth water.







Here I have the scrumptious Goan Prawn curry rice combination along with some classic Chouris chillie fry with potatoes and Fried Fish. This plate of food is heavenly, ask any true blooded Goan.