Mum’s Kitchen, in a nutshell, is a growing movement headed by a group of dedicated people from the culinary field striving to rescue it from extinction. Here, the “MOTHERS” from different parts of Goa have contributed, and helped us compile our menu. Here every effort is taken to sustain the genuineness and quality of each recipe, and to bring on to the table some very delectable ‘archaic’ dishes. GOA reminds us of it’s lovely beaches, it’s Culture and of course it’s Cuisine! Today, it is witnessing rapid changes almost every day on account of the growing Tourism Industry. With all the rapid development, there have been changes in the food and restaurant scenario. Much evident, is the change in the cuisine and the fusion of cuisines. It has kept the food of our motherland, out of focus and has indeed disregarded its authenticity. Today, Goan cuisine is gradually fading and for much of abhor, an unpleasant flavour is spreading, distorting the original cuisine. Here came in an immediate need to save Goan cuisine from vanishing “archaic” dishes.
Over the years, Goa has evolved from a very quiet little state with beautiful virgin beaches to a bustling tourist epicenter. This has enticed loads of business consisting primarily of restaurants, which started serving multi/fusion cuisines. Due to the lack of dedication and passion to maintain accuracy by such restaurants, Goan cuisine had started to lose its originality. We initially started as a multi-cuisine, and over the years we realized that the trend of ‘Fusion Cuisine’ had started infecting the Goan cuisine and that such a decline would be distressingly appalling, therefore we committed all our vigor in reviving our splendid cuisine.
Goan Catholics savour meat and consider it as a key ingredient in their meals. Hence, the food prepared in Christian homes is predominantly meat based: beef, pork and chicken. On realizing this; they unanimously decided to give up eating meat for a period of 40 days, which is known as Lent, it is witnessed immediately after the Carnival, falling around end of February, during this period only vegetarian food is cooked and meat is completely avoided. This has been religiously practiced over centuries.
Mussles In contrast they have some very mouth watering meat based preparations as well: ‘Feijoada’, ‘Balchao’, ‘Xacuti’, ‘Fish – Recheiado’, ‘Xeqxeq’, ‘Caldeirada de Peixe’, ‘Pasteloa’ – (mixed pork pie), ‘Cabidel’, ‘Sorpotel’, etc. are dished out as an extensive meal by the Goan Christians and many restaurants today.
‘Feijoada’ is both a Portuguese as well as Brazilian specialty. The Goans add spicy ‘Goan-sausages’ or salted pork to bring out the zest in ‘Feijoada’, while the Portuguese add sausages, carrots, couve (type of cabbage) and bean sprouts.
In Goa, where very little is grilled, the chicken is fried and condiments are added, like: lime, garlic and Piripiri (small hot chilies locally known as ‘Putquepari’ or ‘Portugali’) are added to the meat and seasoned with salt. ‘Vindalho’ is the modified Portuguese version ‘Vinho de Alho’ (a bundle of garlic) and ‘Sorpotel’ is the adaptation of ‘Sarrabulho’, and ‘Cabidel’ that of ‘Cabidela’. The Goan sausage, ‘Chourico’ is the prototype of the Portuguese ‘Chourico’. While the later is prepared with wine and a few spices, the local is prepared with vinegar and is well spiced. ‘Bebinca’, the queen of the Goan sweets, despite the fact that its origin is controversial, one would be more safe if one places it as a typical Goan category considering that its chief ingredient is coconut-milk and it is baked layer by layer with coconut husks. ‘Apa de Camarao’ (prawn pie) another home delicacy is made with local rice, coconut and ‘Toddy’ (semi-fermented coconut juice), stuffed with prawns in red masala (freshly grounded spices) and baked.
