With this menu, get ready to be transported to Goa, the beautiful sun-soaked holiday state on the south western coast of India. Indian cuisine is vast and it’s amazing to see how each region has its own traditions, culture and of course food. The history of Goan cuisine can be traced back to the period when the Portuguese ruled over Goa, which lasted until 1961. During this time, the Portuguese introduced a variety of new ingredients and cooking techniques to the region, including vinegar, chillies and tomatoes.

It’s very typical of Goan cuisine to balance sweet/sour, savoury and spicy flavours.This is achieved by using ingredients like Kokum, tamarind, Chillies, Goan Malt vinegar, coconut milk, cashew nuts and spices. Being a coastal state, coconut is prominent and used in many different forms like desiccated, fresh, coconut milk and kernels.

Goan cuisine features a lot of seafood and this delicious prawn curry is a great example. Full of flavours from fresh coconut, curry leaves and whole roasted spices this dish is perfectly balanced with aromatic coconut rice. The chilli commonly used in Goan cuisine is called whole Kashmiri chilli that has a distinct orange colour and mild heat. This forms the base for all dishes. These wrinkled chillies whose origin is from the valley in Kashmir are now widely grown all over. The only thing you have to remember is to gently roast the spices to release their aromas and ensure nothing gets burnt before it’s blended into a smooth paste. I hope you enjoy this authentic introduction to Goan flavours and cuisine.