Category Archives: India

by

Learning Goan cuisine – hands on! Day 1

Rita picked us up just after nine in the morning and drove us to her house where she holds the cooking classes in a lovely covered patio surrounded by potted herbs and spices. We met our fellow classmates Kate and Lucy, sisters from London, and Tony, a Home Ec teacher from Darwin. We spent some time chatting and Rita explained the plan for the day which started with a delicious breakfast. From there we headed to the market to shop!

The menu for the day was:
Rissoles de Camarao
Galina Cafreal
Recheado
Prawn Curry
Fugath
Bolo Mimosa

After a brief introduction to the spices we’d be using, we started by making the crust, coconut filling and assembling our little tarts.

We then got to work slicing the snake gourd which was our vegetable in the Fugath.

We made a green sauce marinade for the chicken (Galina Cafreal) . Meanwhile a whole shallot was char roasted on the burner to be used for stuffing the squid ( Recheado).

The base for the prawn curry sauce was grated fresh coconut along with turmeric and other spices.

The filling for the prawn puffs (Rissoles de Carmarao) was made and the choux pastry too. They were then assembled, breaded and deep fried.

The last item on the menu was the Recheado which we stuffed into squid and cooked for a very brief time.

At three o’clock, with sore feet and stiff backs, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the fruits of our labor

by - 2 Comments

Vasco de Gama

The morning started out in monochrome as fog blanketed the bay, but quickly turned technicolor when we arrived at the farmers’ market in Vasco de Gama.

Our trip to the market was led by Rita, our cooking guru, and her helper Pooja.  We purchased vegetables, herbs and fish to use to create our Goan dishes. (More on that in the next post). Like all markets, the vibrancy and people watching opportunities were in abundance. The only problem was that I was let loose with a camera! So be prepared!

The Portuguese introduced marigolds to India, the flower is offered to the Hindu gods for festivals and celebrations. The yellow or orange dye of the flowers is also be used for coloring fabrics.

Kokum fruit after processing. Known in some circles as the “Indian super fruit” .

Some  of the people.

The colorful and very fresh vegetables.

Peppers, grains and spices.

Fish – the flat fish being Pomfret.

Vasco da Gama, named after the Portuguese explorer, is the largest city in the state of Goa and is situated on the western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, at the mouth of the Zuari river. Founded in 1543, it was in Portuguese hands until 1961 when Goa ceased to be a Portuguese territory.

by

Goa, India

Our whole purpose for coming to Goa is to take some classes at Rita’s Cooking classes.  Our stay at the Kokum Tree homestay (named after the spice tree) is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. Here at Kokum Tree one can sit on the tiled verandah enjoying some gentle breezes while overlooking a tropical wooded area to the bay beyond.

Call me nuts, but there is something fun and exciting about the craziness and apparent disorder on the roads of these cities. Fumes! Tuk-tuks, trucks, motor cycles, cars, buses, taxis all jostling and nudging and honking their horns! (Photos when we return to Mumbai). Meanwhile – I was totally impressed with the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport and love these columns.