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Tag: Feast

  • Chicken Xacuti

    Xacuti, pronounced sha-coo-tee, is one of Goa's most complex curries, made by both Hindu and Catholic communities. Its name comes from the Portuguese chacuti, and the dish is famous for its gravy of grated coconut roasted until dark with a large number of whole spices, including poppy seeds, star anise, nutmeg, mace and cloves.

    The flavour is deep, nutty and aromatic, with a warm spiciness rather than sharp heat. The roasted coconut gives a dark brown colour and a slightly smoky richness, while the spices layer sweetness and fragrance. Chicken on the bone is most common, though mutton xacuti is equally popular. Prawn versions exist too.

    Xacuti is a feast dish, served at weddings and festivals and made at home on Sundays. It is eaten with pao, sannas or rice, and like most Goan curries it tastes better the next day. Leftover xacuti is often eaten with bread for breakfast the next morning. Mutton takes longer but is worth it.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time50 minutes
    Total time80 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientschicken / coconut / poppy seeds / star anise

    Ingredients

    For the marinade

    • 750 g chicken on the bone, curry cut
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp salt

    For the xacuti masala

    • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated coconut
    • 8 dried Kashmiri chillies
    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
    • 6 cloves
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 2 star anise
    • 4 green cardamoms
    • 1/4 nutmeg, grated
    • 2 blades mace
    • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

    For the curry

    • 3 tbsp oil
    • 2 onions, finely chopped
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
    • 2 cups hot water
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt for 30 minutes.
    2. Dry roast the whole spices and chillies on low heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and slightly darker. Remove.
    3. Roast the coconut in the same pan on medium-low for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until evenly dark golden brown.
    4. Grind the roasted spices and coconut with about 1 cup water to a fine, smooth paste.
    5. Heat oil in a heavy pot on medium. Cook the onions for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Add tomato and cook for 3 minutes until soft.
    6. Add the chicken and fry on medium-high for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
    7. Add the ground masala and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens and the oil separates.
    8. Pour in hot water, add tamarind and salt, and simmer covered on low for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and the gravy is thick. Garnish with coriander.

    Tips

    • Roast the coconut slowly and evenly; it gives xacuti its colour and depth.
    • Poppy seeds should be roasted lightly; they burn very fast.
    • If the gravy is too thick, add hot water to adjust.

    Serve with

    Goan pao, sannas or steamed rice.

  • Undhiyu

    Undhiyu takes its name from undhu, meaning upside down. In villages around Surat the vegetables were packed into an earthen pot, sealed, turned upside down and buried in a pit with a fire on top. Today it is cooked on a stove, but it remains a winter dish, made when surti papdi, tuvar lilva, purple yam and small brinjals are in season, and especially on Uttarayan, the kite festival in January.

    The flavour comes from a fresh green masala of coriander, green garlic, coconut, ginger, chilli and sesame that is stuffed into the brinjals and potatoes and coats everything else. Methi muthia, fried fenugreek dumplings, go in towards the end and soak up the oil and masala. The result is rich, slightly sweet and full of contrasting textures.

    It is a feast dish, made in large quantities and eaten with puris, shrikhand or jalebi, and kadhi on the side. Many families prepare the muthia a day ahead to break up the work. The recipe below is the Surti style, which is green rather than red. Red, spicier versions are cooked around Bharuch and Ahmedabad.

    At a glance

    RegionGujarat
    CuisineGujarati
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time60 minutes
    Cook time60 minutes
    Total time120 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientssurti papdi / purple yam / baby brinjal / methi muthia

    Ingredients

    For the methi muthia

    • 1 cup chopped fresh methi
    • 1/2 cup coarse whole wheat flour
    • 1/4 cup besan
    • 1 tsp ginger-chilli paste
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • Oil for frying

    For the green masala

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped coriander
    • 1 cup chopped green garlic (or 10 garlic cloves)
    • 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
    • 2 tbsp ginger-green chilli paste
    • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
    • 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 2 tsp coriander-cumin powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt

    For the vegetables

    • 250 g surti papdi, stringed
    • 1/2 cup fresh tuvar lilva (pigeon peas)
    • 8 small round brinjals
    • 8 baby potatoes, peeled
    • 200 g purple yam (kand), peeled and cubed
    • 2 small sweet potatoes, cubed
    • 1 raw banana, cut into thick rounds
    • 1/2 cup oil
    • 1 tsp ajwain
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 1/2 cup water

    Method

    1. Mix all muthia ingredients except frying oil into a stiff dough without adding water. Shape into 20 small finger-sized logs and deep fry on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until golden and cooked through. Drain.
    2. Combine all the green masala ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands. Set aside about one-third for stuffing.
    3. Make a deep cross cut in each brinjal and potato, keeping the base intact, and stuff with the reserved masala. Fry the cubes of yam, sweet potato and raw banana lightly in hot oil for 3-4 minutes until the edges are golden; this keeps them from turning mushy.
    4. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a wide heavy pot on medium. Add ajwain and asafoetida, then the papdi and tuvar lilva with half the remaining masala. Stir for 2 minutes.
    5. Layer the stuffed potatoes and brinjals over the beans, then the fried yam, sweet potato and banana. Spread the rest of the masala on top and sprinkle 1/2 cup water around the edges.
    6. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 30-35 minutes without stirring. Shake the pot gently every 10 minutes to stop sticking.
    7. Check that a knife slides easily through the potato and yam. Add the fried muthia, cover again and cook 5-7 minutes more until they soften slightly. Fold very gently and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

    Tips

    • Undhiyu should be oily; the oil carries the masala and stops the vegetables from catching. Reduce it only slightly.
    • Do not stir with a spoon once layered; shaking the pot keeps the vegetables whole.
    • If green garlic is out of season, use regular garlic and a handful of spring onion greens.

    Serve with

    Hot puris, shrikhand or jalebi, and a bowl of Gujarati kadhi.