RAG Demo

Tag: Goan christmas

  • Bebinca

    Bebinca is the most celebrated Goan dessert, made for Christmas, Easter, weddings and other feasts. Legend says it was created by a nun in Old Goa who wanted to make a dessert with seven layers, representing the seven hills of Lisbon and Old Goa. Traditional bebinca has many more, often sixteen layers, built up one at a time.

    Each layer is a thin pour of a batter of coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar and a little flour, flavoured with nutmeg and cardamom. It is cooked under a top heat until golden, then brushed with ghee before the next layer is added. The result is a dense, rich, caramelised cake with distinct brown and pale stripes.

    Bebinca is served in thin slices, sometimes warm with vanilla ice cream. It keeps well for a week, making it a good dessert to prepare ahead for a feast. Goan households often take pride in their own bebinca, and many families still bake it in a clay oven with coconut husk embers on top, as their grandmothers did.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietEggetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time120 minutes
    Total time150 minutes
    Serves10
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientscoconut milk / egg yolks / sugar / ghee

    Ingredients

    • 10 egg yolks
    • 2 cups (400 ml) thick coconut milk
    • 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
    • 1 cup (125 g) maida
    • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A pinch of salt
    • 1/2 cup (100 g) ghee, melted, plus more for greasing

    Method

    1. Stir the sugar into the coconut milk until it dissolves completely, warming gently if needed. Cool.
    2. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth and pale. Add the coconut milk gradually, whisking.
    3. Sift in the maida with nutmeg, cardamom and salt, whisking until there are no lumps. Strain the batter.
    4. Preheat the oven grill to high (around 220 C) with the rack in the upper third. Grease a 7-inch round tin with ghee.
    5. Pour 1 tbsp melted ghee into the tin and heat under the grill for 2 minutes. Pour in about 1/2 cup batter to form a thin layer. Grill for 8-10 minutes until the top is set and golden brown.
    6. Remove, brush with 1 tsp ghee, pour in another 1/2 cup batter and grill again until golden. Repeat until all the batter is used, about 12-14 layers.
    7. After the final layer, bake for 5 more minutes. Cool completely in the tin, then invert onto a plate and slice thinly.

    Tips

    • Patience is key; each layer must be golden before adding the next.
    • Use thick, fresh coconut milk for the richest flavour.
    • Rotate the tin halfway through each layer for even browning.

    Serve with

    Thin slices on their own or warm with vanilla ice cream.

  • Sorpotel

    Sorpotel is a rich, spicy Goan pork dish made for Christmas, weddings and feasts. It came from Portuguese sarapatel, a stew of offal, and Goan cooks made it their own with local chillies, spices and toddy vinegar. Traditional sorpotel uses pork meat, fat and liver, and sometimes heart and blood, boiled, diced small and cooked in a vinegar masala.

    The flavour is deeply savoury, tangy and spicy, with a rich, slightly gamey depth from the liver. The gravy is thick, dark red and coats every small piece of meat. Like vindaloo, sorpotel is cooked ahead, and families reheat it daily for several days, which concentrates the flavour. The texture is soft and rich.

    It is served with sannas, the soft steamed rice cakes of Goa, or with pao. A plate of sorpotel and sannas is the centrepiece of many Goan Christmas lunches. Many Goans believe sorpotel is best on the third day, and families plan their festive cooking around that. It also freezes well for later meals.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time40 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time130 minutes
    Serves8
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientspork / pork liver / kashmiri chillies / vinegar

    Ingredients

    For boiling

    • 1 kg pork with fat (shoulder or belly)
    • 250 g pork liver
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • Water to cover

    For the masala

    • 20 dried Kashmiri chillies
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 8 cloves
    • 2 inch cinnamon
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 20 garlic cloves
    • 2 inch ginger
    • 3/4 cup coconut or palm vinegar

    For cooking

    • 3 tbsp oil or pork fat
    • 3 onions, finely chopped
    • 4 green chillies, slit
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Put the pork and liver in a pot with salt, turmeric and water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until just cooked.
    2. Remove the meat, cool and dice into very small, 1/2 inch cubes. Keep the stock.
    3. Soak the chillies in the vinegar for 30 minutes and grind with the other masala ingredients to a smooth paste.
    4. Heat oil in a heavy pot on medium. Fry the diced pork fat pieces first for 5 minutes to render fat, then add the onions and green chillies and cook for 10 minutes until golden.
    5. Add the masala paste and fry for 8-10 minutes until it darkens and oil separates.
    6. Add the diced meat and liver and fry for 5 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of the reserved stock and add sugar and salt.
    7. Simmer on low for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thick and the meat is tender. Cool and refrigerate.
    8. Reheat once a day for 2-3 days before serving, adding a splash of vinegar or stock if it gets too thick.

    Tips

    • Dice the meat very small; this is characteristic of sorpotel.
    • Reheating daily is traditional and essential for the best flavour.
    • Keep the stock; it adds depth to the gravy.

    Serve with

    Sannas or Goan pao.