The Hungry Indian Soul's: GOAN excursion

Hello to all my reader's
 I hope you all eat healthy and staying fit.

Yes, It was a big delay in posting this post about GOAN expedition, but I am sure that the delay and my post will definitely entertain you. 

So this time THE HUNGRY INDIAN SOUL went on an food excursion to Goa.

There is nothing much to say  about the land of beaches. the world knows about its culture, people, lifestyle, the night life and the Goan cuisine. 

The thing which drew my attention  was the cuisine of Goa which is actually very different from the rest of the India. The Goans make their food in their homemade spice mixtures or the local spices. The Hungry Indian Soul went on an excursion for the local markets and  also for the local food places where they used these spices in most of their dishes. Some of the common dish which you will get in Goa's each and every menu are :

1. Beef Chilly
2. Prawn Xacuti
3. Vindaloo Chicken
4. Calamari Masala
5. Crab Xacuti
6. Lobsters

These were the top 5 dish which i found in most of the menu's in Goa. the best part about these dishes were , all of them were unique in there own way, but all of them cooked in the local spices. 

1. THE BEEF CHILLY saute'd with spring onions and garlic.

The beef chilly is one of the favourite Goan starters. After having a chat with the Goan locals I got to know that the reason behind it being so famous is that they like to have it served with a chilled beer.

The beef chilly was totally different from what I had in Mumbai,Maharashtra. The beef chilly was luscious and the spring onions complimented the dish . The dish had a sweet&salty taste with a twist of tangy lemon  and the local spices used, gave a heat to it. 

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2. The PRAWN XACUTI served with rice.

The Prawn Xacuti is also a famous dish of Goa. The people call it as "The Goan pride" as it is traditionally cooked in the xacuti masala (mix of local spices). They prefer to have it with rice as the spice used or the xacuti masala (available in local market) is too hot to handle. Rice helps  to neutralize the spicy-chilly taste of this dish. The best thing about the dish is that the spices used are so flavorsome that as soon as you are served it tickles your nostrils and the taste-buds waters the mouth.

THE HUNGRY INDIAN SOUL highly recommends this dish.

3. VINDALOO CHICKEN

It is an Indian curry dish popular in the region of Goa..  However, it is known globally in its Anglo-Indian form as a staple cuisine and Goan restaurant menus, often regarded as a fiery, spicy dish, even though it is not necessarily the spiciest dish available. After a wonderful discussion with Mrs. Patricia Fathome( a local restaurateur) , I got to know that it was actually introduced by the portugese in india. The beef  was prepared in a marination of red wine, garlic and onion base. but now the locals are preparing the dish with chicken as well as mutton in tomato, garlic and onion marination. the flavours are not easy to take of your mind. This is the magic of this dish that leaves an ineffable impression  on your mind.

4. CALAMRI MASALA served with green salad.

Calamari masala is an another starter which the tourists as well as the Goans like to have served with red wine in a tall wine glass . Calamari is actually the culinary name for the Squid. It is prepared in many ways in different part of the world. But as I mentioned earlier, the Goans believe in cooking it traditionally that is using the local spices which includes ginger, onion paste ,chilly pepper, red chilly powder and xacuti masala. Calamari masala is a boon to the sea food lovers as it opens an option for them apart from the shrimps crabs and lobster. Calamari when prepared should not be chewy and slimy. The calamari which I had in Goa was in a small restaurant which was on the Baga-Calangute road. It was fresh and tasted sweet, the slimy part which I was expecting was not all present. and about the flavour , it was just amazing. as soon as you take the first bite it blend in your mouth and the dish comes out to be success. Again the dish is on the hotter side. So people with sensitive stomach , have it in less amount. 

5. CRAB XACUTI :

Crabs are a vital part of a sea food platter. Eating a crab is not a cake-walk because of its crustaceous exo-skeleton. As the crabs are difficult to eat  they are also difficult to cook as well. It takes a lot of perfection as well as culinary skills to make a perfect crab dish. Crab Xacuti  is again a traditional Goan dish which is actually prepared on a feast ( as confirmed by a local). Crab xacuti is made with the help of a paste of  Xacuti masala (local spices and red chilies) and grated coconut. I had the Crab xacuti on the Anjuna beach road. There was a small hut turned into a take away food point where I decided to enjoy this brilliant dish. The Crab xacuti which I had was spicy but the coconut paste in it reduced the pungency to a moderate level. It is preferred to have it with rice and freshly cut vegetables to sooth the stomach from the heat of the spices.

7. LOBSTERS:

Lobsters are considered as the queen of the crustaceon family as it is expensive and not everyone can afford it in daily meals. like the Crab xacuti,  it is also prepared in festive occasions. Lobster are the toughest  dishes to cook. It needs to be cooked at the right flame, right boiling temperature and also it requires to be retreated from the boiling pan at a given time. Lobster are not available everywhere in Goa due to low demand by the tourists who are on a budget tour. Best place to have a well cooked lobster is at Britto's Baga. The lobster which is had was perfectly cooked. It was luscious, sweet as it was fresh and soft. It was not spicy. The Hungry Indian Soul recommends to squeeze a lemon with a pinch of salt before consuming the dish. The dish which i had was a masterpiece.

I really enjoyed the main dishes or I must say the heart-throb of the Goan cuisine but there were some dishes which actually surprised me with the creativeness they were prepared. 

These were the dish which you wont get everywhere and if you want to relish it you need to pay out a little more cash from your wallet.

1. Chicken Malwani
2. Sesame Fried Prawns
3. Prawn Balchoa
4. Chicken Cafreal
5. Prawn Caldinho

1. CHICKEN  MALWANI

Malwani is a dialect of the of the people living in the Konkan as well as some place in Maharashtra. Malwan is a place from the Konkan region has a distinctive way of cooking . they generally include malwani masala ( local spices mostly including nutmegs, coriander seeds, peppercorns etc)  Chicken Malwani is spicy chicken dish which is really flavorsome. It is prepared in a grated coconut base and the lcal malwani spices which lowers the pungency of the dish. It is a part of the main course and is often consumed with the Indian bread(chapatis). I had it in a hotel named as Estrela Do Mar , a 4 star hotel in Baga. I found the dish really distinctive as I being from northern part of India, I have never tasted something like this. It as delicious and the flavour still lingers on my mind. 

IT IS A MUST TRY-  The Hungry Indian Soul strongly recommends this konkan dish.

2. SESAME PRAWN FRIES

Goa is a city of beaches and known for its night life. Just like the other tourists I also went out to enjoy the night life in Goa's one of the best night clubs. After a little bit of trip&spin in the nightclub i was hungry. I went to a nearby restaurant which had a crowd of noisy and chirpy youngsters.I asked the attendant for the menu card.  As it was quite late at night, I was in a mood to have something in snacks. After taking a good look at the menu, Sesame Prawn fries drew my attention towards it. I had never thought of the combination of sesame seeds and prawn together. I was trying to fix the combination as well as the taste in my mind but I kept on failing till the time i was served the starter. The sesame prwan fires was served with mayonese as well as a chilly tarmarind sauce. When I took  the first bite of the sesame prawn I was knocked down by the juicy prawns and salty sesame seeds. It had an outstanding flavour and indescribable taste. The dish was overpowered by the taste of sesame seed but it is a happening starter to have with a chilled mug of beer.

3. PRAWN BALCHOA

Prawn Balchao is an another very famous and an authentic dish of Goa. Balchoa is a part of the  main course  dish which is served with rice and can also be enjoyed with chapattis. Balchoa is a typical Konkani dish which is made out of tomato-chilly puree. It has a Portuguese influence to it as the Portugal natives use tomatoes in most of their dishes. After confirming with the locals, I was enlightened about this particular recipe that the Balchao is made with a  paste of dried shrimp, tomatoes , garlic and chilies. They added that without these four main components Balchoa is incomplete. The I had my first ever Prawn Balchoa in a famous food joint named Ronald's and the dish was incredible. It had a tangy and a pungent taste. The chilly-tomato combination complimented each other and also it balanced the pungency of the dish. I am sure the foodies who love to have spicy food will definitely fall in love with this dish.  

4. CHICKEN CAFREAL

Chicken cafreal is a recipe which was introduced in India by the Portuguese who belonged to the Portugal colonies of the African continent. Chicken Cafreal is a dish which is made with a paste of coriander, ginger, garlic, onion, cinnamon,cloves. It is prepared with the whole chicken legs which is marinated with a mix spice of cinnamon, coves, maze and lemon juice. It will be a really new taste for the people hailing from the northern part of India because the taste is really unusual and surprising. It is usually served with Potato wedges or mashed potato on the side of the plate .As soon as you have the first bite of the chicken , the flavours of dominating flavours of onion, lemon and coriander bursts in your mouth and tickles your tastebuds. It is not at all spicy and is a friendly dish for the people with sensitive stomach.  

5. PRAWN CALDINHO

The Caldinho is usually a yellow non spicy Goan curry. The Goans prefer to have it with pao, chappati or rice.The taste of this curry is mild yet flavorful and aromatic. Once you make this your house would be full of aroma which would lead you to hunger pangs .The Goans usually use sea-food to make recipes pomfret caldinho, sardine caldinho, prawn caldinho etc . The best taste I found was in a famous restaurant of panjim  “Oldie is Goldie”. It has a mild taste and my suggestion to enjoy this curry is with rice if you are looking for a satisfactory lunch. 





It was a great experience drenching myself into the Goan culture for 4-5 days of my visit. After such an experience I am in love with the Goan cuisine and also reminisce about the spectacular and the unique taste of the food in Goa.


I hope you guys like this post and also share this with all those who are planning a visit to Goa
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