Monsoon Madness in Goa

Monsoon winds on Anjuna Beach

My family has just spent a relaxing 4 days in Goa, on the west coast of India.   We stayed at a hotel resort outside of the northern town of Mapusa, near to the popular tourist beaches of Baga and Anjuna.   This is the off-season for tourism in Goa so the hotels, bars and street life were relatively quite ... mostly consisting of locals going about their daily business.



Mapusa's Friday Market



Goan bread

Spices are an important element in Goan cooking

Fresh vegetables in abundance ...

The area is a centre for agricultural production in the state and the Mapusa market on a Friday was teeming with local producers and sellers hawking a vast variety of fruit, vegetables, the famous Goan pork sausages and other food stuffs heavily influenced by its Portuguese heritage.

Goa was an independent Portuguese state from the early 1500s - when the Portuguese Admiral Alfonso De Albuquerque defeated the then Muslim rulers – up until the early 1960s.
During this time it was the centre of Portuguese rule in South Asia and was a major trading centre for that country’s eastern empire.

Even after India gained its independence from the British in 1947, the Portuguese refused to give up their territory and it was not until Indian troops invaded the territory in 1961 (after the then Indian Prime Minister Nehru lost patience with the European coloniser) that the province was finally returned to India.   As one writer on Goa noted, “The Portuguese thus became the first Europeans to arrive in India and the last to depart!”

Our visit to Goa was part of the Monsoon Madness Hash run – an annual event organised by various chapters of the Hash House Harriers around India.  (The Hash' is a group of runners and walkers who meet regularly for a sporting and social get together.)   There were participants from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore chapters along with the Hyderabadi contingent that organised this year’s event. (Big thanks to Reggie!)



Making friends on the local bus



On the walk back from the bus to Mapusa market



Zia on stage at the Saturday night Hash party

    





Of course, one of the "must do's" in Goa is to try the local cuisine - which has been heavily influenced by more than 450 years of Portuguese occupation.   On the Saturday we took a trip into Panjim - the state capital of Goa - and stopped at an old Portuguese pub for lunch.   It was in a tiny street near the Mandovi River which runs through the centre of the town.

The Hotel Venite serves authentic Goan food such as Bombay Duck (despite the name, a type of small fish - crumbed and pan fried), Garlic Prawns, Fish cooked with Rechio Masala - the fiery Goan paste made with chillies, spices, tamarind and vinegar, and Shark Fillet in a Lemon Butter Sauce - very European influenced!

As well as eating at the local restaurants we also brought back to Hyderabad plenty of Goan supplies ... like the local cashew nuts (grown in abundance in Goa's climate), Goan coconut vinegar and strings of Goan pork sausages - filled with ground pork, chilli and a vinegar-flavoured spice mix

Woman selling the famous Goan pork sausages

On the way home I bought a small cookbook of Goan recipes at the airport - "Tasty Goan Morsels"; this cucumber dish has an unusual mix of flavourings and also looks simple to make at home.

Korom of Cucumber   
from   Tasty Goan Morsels    by Maria de Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodriguez

Ingredients:    2 small cucumbers    ½ coconut, grated    1tsp mustard seeds    2 green chillies   1 tsp jaggery, or brown sugar    salt to taste

Method:    Peel cucumber and slice finely.   Salt and leave aside for 20 mins.   Roast mustard seeds until they pop, then grind with coconut and chillies.  Drain cucumber slices and dry, mix with ground spices and serve.


Another recipe we regularly use here in Hyderabad is a Goan Prawn Curry from the "Essential Goa Cookbook" - a Penguin publication which has a wonderful collection of recipes from local cookbook writer Maria Teresa, whose family came from Goa.   This book is a great introduction to Goan cooking and is readily available in bookshops in India.

Caril de Camaro - Prawn Curry   
from the Essential Goa Cookbook by Maria Teresa Menezes

Ingredients:   400gms green prawns, shelled, washed and deveined   2 ½ cups coconut milk    1 tsp corianfder poweder    2 tsp ground chillies   6 cloves garlic, finely chopped   1 red onion, sliced   2 green chillies, sliced (remove seeds if preferred)   tamarind soaked in ½ C warm water, 20 mins   salt to taste

Method:   Place all ingredients except prawns and tamarind water in pot with 2 cups water.   Mix well.   Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until onions are soft.    Pour tamarind water into pan and stir.   Add prawns and cook just until prawns turn pink and curl.   (Do not over cook as the prawns will be tough.)

Hope you enjoy this introduction to the distinct cuisine of Goa!

Tony saab/Hyderabad   August 2012