RAG Demo

Tag: Goan catholic

  • Pork Vindaloo

    Vindaloo descends from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos, meat marinated in wine and garlic, which Goan cooks adapted using local palm vinegar and plenty of red chillies. Over centuries it became the signature Goan Catholic dish, made for Christmas, weddings and feasts. It has little in common with the potato-filled, fiercely hot versions found in British curry houses.

    A true vindaloo is tangy, garlicky and spicy rather than simply hot. The pork, ideally shoulder with some fat, is marinated overnight in a paste of Kashmiri chillies, garlic, ginger, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and vinegar, then cooked slowly until meltingly tender. The gravy is deep red, rich and slightly sweet from the onions.

    Vindaloo keeps well and improves over several days, which made it popular for feasts and travel. It is eaten with sannas, pao or steamed rice. In Goan homes, a large pot of vindaloo is made before Christmas and eaten over several days. The vinegar acts as a preservative, and the flavours deepen with every reheat.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time120 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientspork / kashmiri chillies / garlic / vinegar

    Ingredients

    For the vindaloo paste

    • 15 dried Kashmiri chillies
    • 4 dried spicy chillies
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 8 cloves
    • 2 inch cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 15 garlic cloves
    • 2 inch ginger
    • 1/2 cup coconut or palm vinegar

    For the curry

    • 1 kg pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces with some fat
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 3 tbsp oil
    • 3 onions, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp sugar or grated jaggery
    • 1 cup hot water

    Method

    1. Soak the chillies in the vinegar for 1 hour. Grind them with the vinegar and all other paste ingredients to a fine paste.
    2. Mix the pork with the paste and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
    3. Heat oil in a heavy pot on medium. Add onions and cook for 10-12 minutes until deep golden brown.
    4. Add the marinated pork with all its marinade. Fry on medium-high for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until the meat is sealed and the paste starts to darken.
    5. Add sugar and hot water, stir and bring to a boil.
    6. Cover and simmer on low for 60-75 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the pork is very tender and the gravy is thick and deep red with fat on top.
    7. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar and sugar. Rest for at least an hour, or better, overnight, before serving.

    Tips

    • Use pork with some fat; lean meat dries out during the long cook.
    • Palm or coconut vinegar gives the authentic flavour; malt vinegar can be harsh.
    • Vindaloo tastes best on the second or third day.

    Serve with

    Goan pao, sannas or steamed rice.

  • Prawn Balchao

    Balchao is a Goan preparation of prawns or fish in a fiery, sweet-sour paste of red chillies, garlic, spices and vinegar. It is thought to have come to Goa from Macau, where balichao was a fermented shrimp sauce, and Goan cooks transformed it into a pickle-like curry. Prawn balchao is made by Catholic families for Christmas and festive meals.

    The flavour is intense: tangy from vinegar, hot from red chillies, sweet from sugar or jaggery and deeply savoury from the prawns. The gravy is thick and clings to the prawns. Because of the vinegar, balchao keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, and many families make it in large batches to last through the monsoon.

    A small spoon of balchao is served with rice and dal or eaten with pao. It also makes a good accompaniment to drinks. It is a popular gift for Goans living abroad. Fish and dried prawn versions are made the same way, and some families prepare balchao with pork too.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseSide dish
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsprawns / red chillies / vinegar / garlic

    Ingredients

    For the prawns

    • 500 g small prawns, cleaned and deveined
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric

    For the balchao paste

    • 15 dried Kashmiri chillies
    • 5 dried spicy chillies
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 6 cloves
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 15 garlic cloves
    • 2 inch ginger
    • 1/2 cup coconut or palm vinegar

    For cooking

    • 1/2 cup oil
    • 2 onions, finely chopped
    • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp sugar or jaggery
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Rub the prawns with salt and turmeric and set aside for 15 minutes. Pat dry.
    2. Soak the chillies in the vinegar for 30 minutes and grind with the remaining paste ingredients to a smooth paste.
    3. Heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the prawns on high for 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove.
    4. Heat the remaining oil on medium and cook the onions for 10-12 minutes until deep golden. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until they break down.
    5. Add the balchao paste and fry for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens and oil separates.
    6. Add sugar and salt, then the prawns. Cook on low for 5-6 minutes until the prawns are coated and the gravy is thick.
    7. Cool completely and store in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator. Rest for at least a day before eating.

    Tips

    • Fry the prawns lightly first to remove moisture; this helps the balchao keep longer.
    • Use a clean, dry spoon when serving to prevent spoilage.
    • Increase the oil if you want to store it for longer.

    Serve with

    Steamed rice and dal, or Goan pao.

  • Em and the Big Hoom

    The unnamed narrator lives with his sister Susan and their parents in a cramped flat in Mahim, Bombay. His mother Imelda, called Em, smokes beedis, swears inventively and talks with startling candour, and she lives with bipolar disorder that sends her into periods of mania and despair, including attempts on her own life. His father Augustine, the Big Hoom, is calm, reliable and quietly devoted.

    Through Em's letters, diaries and long conversations with her son, the novel pieces together how Em and the Big Hoom met and married in the 1950s and how the family lives around her illness, with hospital visits, neighbours' gossip and endless cups of tea. Humour sits right beside sorrow on every page.

    Jerry Pinto drew on his own family history, and the book is admired for its honesty about mental illness and its love for its characters. It won The Hindu Literary Prize and the Crossword Book Award and has been translated into several languages. It is short and quickly read.

    Book details

    AuthorJerry Pinto
    First published2012
    Original languageEnglish
    GenreLiterary fiction
    TypeFiction
    Pages (approx.)240
    SettingMahim, Bombay, 1950s to 1990s
    AwardsThe Hindu Literary Prize 2013

    Themes

    • Mental illness
    • Family love
    • Caregiving
    • Humour and grief
    • Marriage

    Who should read it

    Readers who appreciate warm, honest writing about families living with mental illness.

    If you liked this, try

    • Family Matters
    • The English Teacher
    • Ghachar Ghochar