India, a nation with a long history and vibrant culture, is proud of the wide range of spices it produces. Each state has its own unique blend of ingredients, spices, and herbs and Goan food is no exception. A variety of ingredients, spices, and herbs are used in Goa’s cuisine to give it an intriguing flavour that makes it stand out from other cuisines.
The ingredients and spices used in it are what make it unique, from the mouthwatering Vindaloo to the summer beverage Solkadi. Let’s look at some of the popular Goan ingredients, spices, and herbs that can really be considered game-changers.
Goan cuisine stands apart thanks to the distinctive ingredient Kokum, which is utilised in many different recipes. They are harvested when ripe. Similar to tamarind, their rinds are soaked in the fruit pulp and then dried. It is a favoured alternative for tamarind in curries and other foods since it has a similar sweet-sour flavour. Kokum is not only used in curries but also to prepare kokum juice, seafood and kokum curry. In addition to the skin, kokum seeds contain valuable fat which can be converted into Goa butter, a nutritious substitute for ghee, cocoa butter, and butter manufactured from milk.
The Sichuan pepper cultivar cubeb is grown in Goa and in the rain forests along India’s west coast. Tirphal has a strong woody aroma and is added to a meal when it is at a boiling point either whole or roughly ground. It’s vital to let the dish settle for at least 30 minutes. This gives the spice enough time to release its unique flavour. It is believed that pepper has digestive and anti-flatulent qualities.
The star anise is an essential ingredient in many Goan dishes, including vindaloo, chicken xacuti, and a variety of seafood. Both the seeds and the star itself are present in a spice that has a flavour that is extremely sweet, similar to licorice.
4.Asafetida – (Hing)
Hing, a spice that is sticky and made from big fennel resin. Its disagreeable moniker, “stinking gum,” is due to its offensive odour. A modest amount of hing added to the Dal, Tamarind rice, Neer more, goan fish curry, Ambotik fish curry, Vodiya ros, and Goan churma helps it give a taste that could have one saying “It’s finger licking good.”
5.Black pepper (Mirem)
The earthy, hot, woody, brash pepper’s distinct flavour somehow pairs well with just about any savoury food, and some sweet ones too. Additionally, it is used for seasoning too. If salt helps bring out flavours, black pepper makes foods bolder versions of themselves. This tiny spice comes with a lot of health benefits and helps in controlling illnesses such as asthma, arthritis, and a lot more.
One can find these grown and reared at the many spice plantations across the state. Growing our very own spices at home is also an option, just like the students of one of the top hotel management institutes in the country, V.M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Management, who have their own garden on campus in which they grow the ingredients they utilise in the kitchen. Goan dishes actively use these spices and hence, feel like an explosion of flavours in the mouth.
