Vibrant, like the setting sun, speckled with mustard seeds and fragrant with the aroma of coconut, the ambadyache sasav/ross is a revelation, a sweet and sour mixture of coconut, hog plum and mustard seeds. It is easily one of the most interesting dishes in the Goan culinary repertoire—often broadly categorised into Goan Hindu and Goan Catholic; the latter bearing more of a Portuguese influence in terms of ingredients and cooking techniques. The food of Goa’s Hindu community reflects the state’s deep and rich history, traditional methods of cooking and an emphasis on eating local and seasonal food. Today, the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community’s food is used as a catch-all for Goan Hindu food. But the Goa of today is digging deeper into her roots and is eager to share her food, beyond the stereotypes.
Shubhra Shankwalker has been championing GSB cuisine through her venture, Aai’s. She began Aai’s with her mother, and they sold pickles. Today, Aai’s does an elaborate lunch at her farm in Camurlim, featuring dishes that are seasonal. “There are a few misconceptions about our food. Most people think that the community eats only vegetarian food. But, we eat meat (no beef or pork) and fish. We are very particular about the kind of ingredients we use, from the freshness of the fish to the purity of the hing,” she says. As accompaniments, she also feeds visitors with information—how there isn’t just one variety of sol kadhi, and why eating seasonal is the best. Her venture is also a chance for her to preserve the recipes and knowledge of her community, which she one day hopes to bring out in the form of a book. “How many people know the recipes for these dishes? It’s only cooked at home,” she says.
This thought is what drove Sapna Sardessai to launch Kokum Curry—as a way to showcase food she grew up eating. At her two restaurants, in Panaji and Candolim, the menu features a list of nostalgic comfort favourites, and some gems. Among the former are foddni fov (savoury flattened rice preparation) and godachi chappati (literally, chapati with ghee, jaggery and coconut). The latter includes moogachi gaati (sprouted moong dish), biyanche tondak (cashew nut curry), and karela kismoor. Over in Assagao, Avo’s Kitchen is serving familiar favourites but with slight tweaks. It is the place to find nirphanas (breadfruit) fry, stuffed crab, that street food favourite ros omelette, sasav (sour mustard-based curry) and udda methi (urad dal and methi). Many dishes on the menu are “to educate people about Goa’s lesser known dishes”, says Amey Naik, partner at Avo’s Kitchen.
Over at Novotel Goa Panjim’s all day dining space, Food Exchange, a recent offering is ‘Saraswat thalis’ featuring a variety of locally sourced greens and fish curries. Photographer Elsewhere, photographer Assavri Kulkarni is on a mission to document the wisdom, and recipes of Goa’s fishing community withher project ‘Recipes of the River’. At the recent Serendipity Arts Festival, she showcases some typical dishes made in her home, including a bhaji made with pumpkin and dried prawns, and a fish curry made with river fish. Assavri also documents her cooking on YouTube, and often conducts pop-ups, market walks and workshops to spread her knowledge.
Goans love eating seasonal food and this is most evident during the festivals. Ganesh Chaturthi is a beloved festival across Goa. It has religious meaning for the Goan Hindus and for the other communities. It is during Ganesh Chaturthi that Goa’s vegetarian diversity comes to fore. Once upon a time, people lived off the produce found in their gardens and in forests—a fact which is beautifully displayed in the matoli (a canopy above the idol that showcases local herbs, vegetables, plants and fruits). The days of the festival feature an astonishing variety of herbs, tubers, plants and vegetables, coming together in dishes like paanch palyachi bhaj, using leafy vegetables like tambdi bhaji (red amaranth), val chi bhaji (Malabar spinach), moringa (drumstick leaves), alu (colocasia leaves), hog plum leaves; alu chi bhaji—colocasia leaves cooked with bikna (jackfruit seeds), ambade (hog plum), dal, alsande (black eyed peas) and coconut; and moogachi gathi—sprouted moong dal coconut curry; and khatkhatem is prepared either on the second or third day. It should have 21 vegetables like breadfruit, raw papaya, raw banana, hog plum and more. Some of this bounty can be found at restaurants across Goa—Voltaire, Surboos, Vhodekar, Workshop, KK’s Kitchen — who serve ‘Shravan Specials’ with daily changing thalis.
Small wonder that Goa’s food diversity is varied, seasonal and absolutely delicious.