goan | pfeiffer family: the indian cookbook

a portuguese layer cake, with a single serve in forground

Goan layer cake

This layer cake from Goa, bebinca, is a splendid example of the Portuguese bakers’ legacy.

serving dish of goan beef steak, potato, tomato and onion

This is the Goan version of “meat and three veg”, and is clearly a dish from their Portuguese heritage. In fact, it is most commonly called by its Portuguese name of Bife de Goa. It has everything that the Portuguese loved and inspired in Goan cuisine, namely chilli, garlic and vinegar.

chicken xacuti

This dish, shakuti, is a unique preparation from Goa. It is made with sesame seeds, poppy seeds and a lot of Kashmiri chillies. It is hot, fiery and delicious.

Portuguese colonial church set in tropical Goan landscape

the cuisine of Goa

Goan cuisine is typically hot and tangy. It is influenced by its Hindu origins, the Mughlai rule that followed and then four hundred years of Portuguese presence.

black-eyed pea curry

Preparations of black-eyed peas are common across all of India. This is the Goan way. It has plenty of chilli and coconut and a touch of tomato. This dish, alsande tonak, is a robust, spicy, hot preparation.

slow roasted duck

Slow roasted moist duck, with crisp skin and a chilli hit. This is a recipe for duck recheado, or pato recheado. The recipe comes from Goa, and owes its heritage to the Portuguese.

Goan fish curry

A hot and tangy fish curry from Goa. Just-cooked fish in a spicy coconut masala makes this xiti codi a great favourite.

Two pieces of mackerel, stuffed with recheado paste, in frypan

Goan fried mackerel

Fried hot and spicy mackerel. This simple fried fish is the traditional bangda recheado from Goa.

recheado masala

This is the taste of Goa. Super hot red recheado masala is used to marinate, coat or stuff into the food you are cooking.

mussels recheado

A slightly hot Portuguese-inspired mussel dish from Goa. Xinaneao recheado can be served as a starter, a snack, or even a main meal.

a baking tray of Indian pav, or bread rolls

dinner rolls

These bread rolls, pão, come from the Portuguese influence on Indian cuisine. They are very similar to Western bread rolls, but have a subtle Indian twist.

vindalu

Vindalu is hot and has a complex layer of flavours. First the pork, then the chilli, vinegar and garlic, and then the aromatic spices over that.