A slice of Goan cuisine on the platter

In addition to beautiful beaches, it is the culinary delights that beckon people from across the world to Goa. The wonderful fish grills, the vindaloo, and the array of exclusive masalas that bring unique flavours to the Goan dishes were recreated by specialist chef at the coffee shop Seasonal Tastes in Westin Mindspace for the lunch and dinner buffets of the Goan Food Festival, which will be on till April 12.

Prawns sauteed in fiery Balchow masala, Pomfret coated with Recheado masala and Tilapia fish coated with simple cinnamon and ginger garlic paste grilled to perfection are few of the seafood delights that await diners. It was amazing to see how the same masalas enhance the taste of the curries.

Be it the non-vegetarian ones like the Chicken Cafrael, wherein the green coriander-based masala (made using coriander, cashew nut, chilli, garlic and ginger) was used to coat the chicken and cooked slowly to soak in the flavours, and Lamb Sorpotel (usually made using the pork) that when made in the authentic style is finger-licking good despite the simple ingredients.

Or the vegetarian ones like the Vangi Vindaloo and the sour and sweet Corn Peri Peri that uses baby corns in a special gravy using red chillies, vinegar and malt vinegar. There are some key ingredients like the peppercorns and vinegar that find their way into almost every Goan dish. The chefs served homemade traditional desserts.

These are definitely not to be missed. The gooey coconut/semolina-based Kokad, the elaborately prepared multi-layered Bibinca and the signature Goan Dodol made of Ragi and palm jaggery are must haves. Well, for now, it’s probably simpler to enjoy the delicious Goan dishes in Hyderabad, before you head off to the exotic land when the season is right.

By:Rajeshwari Kalyanam