HYDERABAD: Be it delicious Chicken Yacuti or mouth-watering prawn curry, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre has struck just the right chords while presenting Goan cuisine to Hyderabadis. Hosting a 10-day-long Goan food festival, the popular luxury hotel invited chefs from Goa’s ‘Mum’s Kitchen’ to present their traditional Goan delicacies.
The festival, celebrating the culinary heritage of Goa, will go on till May 28, and will have a range of traditional food items and a variety of options for vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections alike. “You have to try every bit of it,” said Maria Suzette Martin’s, founder of Mum’s Kitchen. “We don’t get into any fusion of the food but want to keep it authentic. Goa has a lot of heritage and we celebrate it.”
With more than 25 years of experience, Suzie, as she is better known, has women employees making up 85 per cent of her team. Delineating the difference between the Catholic and Hindu cuisines in Goa, she said that Catholic foods include the use of locally-sourced vinegar, which is derived from toddy plants, whereas Hindu cuisine involves the use of tamarind and Kokam fruit. “We use a lot of vinegar because it worked as a natural preservative, food could last long without refrigeration,” said Suzie.
The chefs have curated a menu comprising the famous Goan fish curry and fiery prawn balchao. For meat lovers, there are succulent pork vindaloo and other signature meat dishes, prepared with aromatic spices and flavours that epitomise the Goan cuisine. There is a plethora of vegetarian delicacies to select from, with dishes like the creamy mushroom xacuti and the tantalizing stuffed paneer chilly fry. Complementing these exquisite offerings are the traditional Goan bread, such as Pao and Poee, which add an extra touch of authenticity to the dining experience.
The venue is adorned with vibrant Goan-inspired decor, creating an inviting and immersive ambience reminiscent of Goa’s coastal charm. Speaking on the occasion, Rubin Cherian, General Manager, of Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Mum’s Kitchen, a popular Goan restaurant known for its culinary mastery and commitment to preserving the authentic flavours of Goa. They bring a wealth of expertise and passion to the Goan Food Festival, ensuring that our guests savour the true essence of Goan cuisine.”
Suzie said that it is the unique blend of local spices and vinegar derived from palm toddy that makes Gaon food a heritage. Among local ingredients, there is toddy, jaggery derived from toddy as well as sugarcane and the local chillies that add to the spiciness of the cuisine. She added that there are a few items that taste the best when they are cooked a day before. The ageing of vinegar and harmony of spices plays their magic only when it is given time to prepare.“Among a few drinks that are popular in Goa, there is Urrak, derived from cashew fruit and then there is Feni. Palm Feni is also used in cooking food,” said Suzie.