When it comes to celebrating Christmas and year-end holidays, there’s no different location like Goa! Right from the lit-up streets to decorated churches to seashore banters to typical lavish lunch and dinner parties, Goan Christmas celebrations has a committed fan base. From scrumptious Beef Roulade to neureos to wind up an elaborate super-Goan food makes it even more special. Here are the choicest recipes to mouth-watering Christmas dishes.
Beef-roulade – The Authentic Christmas Dish
A Goan speciality of bringing collectively meat, vegetables, and flavourful spices, the beef roulade is a traditional delicacy savoured in general on special occasions.
The (literal) party starter boasts a special mixture of French and Portuguese influences and would even pair properly with your cheeseboard.
Apart from being served as an appetiser, this succulent meat dish additionally has the versatility to fare properly with a side of pulao or Goan pao as a main, so take your pick!
Ingredients
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp peppercorns
2 inches cinnamon
10 cloves
5 green cardamom
½ tsp turmeric
1kg beef tenderloin
Salt to taste
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp goan toddy vinegar
2 onions
2 tomatoes
4 green chillies
2 capsicums
2 carrots
2 potatoes
250gm bacon
50ml oil
Instructions
1. Make a powder by grinding cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and green cardamom.
2. Cut and trim the tenderloin. Flatten the meat with a mallet.
3. Marinate the meat with ginger garlic paste, salt,grounded powder and vinegar.
4. Cut long strips of carrots, capsicum, potatoes.
5. Cut long strips of bacon and saute for two to three minutes.
6. Flatten the marinated meat. Line the meat with carrot, capsicum, potato and bacon.
7. Roll the meat and tie with a piece of thread or secure with a couple of toothpicks.
8. Heat oil in a heavy bottom vessel. Add chopped onions and saute till golden brown on medium heat.
9. Add tomatoes and green chillies and cook till soft. Add remaining grounded masala.
10. Add the beef rolls and cook on a low fire till done.
Sorpotel
The next in the list of top Christmas dishes is Sorpotel, a spicy tangy pork preparation, has Portuguese roots and is historically made for Christmas in Goan Catholic households.
The fiery curry is normally served with an aspect of sanna (steamed rice bread), poi (wheat buns), or parboiled rice.
The versatile Goan delicacy is perfect to break bread with pals and household at your annual Christmas spread, and is ideally accompanied with the aid of a rum-soaked Christmas pudding and a nice, lengthy siesta.
Ingredients
1kg pork
200gm liver
Salt to taste
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
60ml toddy vinegar
5gm cumin
30gm red chillies
3gm black pepper
2gm cinnamon
¼ tsp turmeric
1 pod green cardamom
300ml water
50ml oil
500gm onions
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Instructions
1. Wash and cut the meat into four big pieces, add the liver and marinate with salt, ginger and garlic paste and keep aside for half an hour.
2. Boil the meat for 15 minutes in a pan. Set aside till the meat is cooled down. Save the stock for later use.
3. Cut meat into ¼ inch cubes.
4. Heat oil in a separate pan and fry the meat till it releases its fat.
5. Remove the meat and add to the reserved pork stock.
6. Grind all the ingredients for the masala to a smooth paste, add water to smoothen the paste.
7. Heat the preserved pork fat. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté till transparent, add the ginger garlic paste and fry for two to three minutes. Add the ground masala and cook for a further four to five minutes
8. Add this mixture to the pot of cooked pork. Add 300ml of water. Add toddy vinegar and salt to taste. Cook until the gravy thickens.
9. Serve piping hot with sannas or poies. Pro tip: Sorpotel is best eaten after three days, heating once a day as this allows the flavours to infuse.
Neureos – The Main Christmas Dish
SWEET ALERT
No Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi, or Diwali in a Goan family is not complete without some version of these deep-fried goodies. Neureos are the Goan model of the North Indian gujiya or the Maharashtrian karanji. What sets this treat with apart is the raspberry-flavoured sparkling coconut filling that lends them a moist texture on the inside, and the use of egg white to create the flaky
pastry exterior.
Ingredients
4 cups grated fresh coconut
2 cups sugar
100gm raisins
100gm finely chopped cashew nuts
½ tsp raspberry essence
6 tbsp ghee
200ml water
1/2kg refined flour (maida)
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg white
1l oil for frying
Instructions
1. Take a deep bottom pan, add sugar, half cup water and bring to boil till a thick syrup is formed. Add coconut and keep stirring for five minutes.
2. Add the raisins and cashew nuts, add ghee and cook further for five minutes. Add essence and set aside in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl add water, sugar and salt. Stir for a few minutes.
4. Add flour, egg white and ghee in another bowl and knead it well. Add the water sugar salt mixture into this and knead to form a soft dough. Leave it for half an hour to rest.
4. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out into thin rounds, put a spoonful of coconut filling on each round.
5. Wet the edges. Press down to form a half moon shape. Trim the edges with a cutter.
6. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Can be served hot or cold.
Chicken Cafreal
Cafreal is one of the top Christmas dishes that was introduced in the state during Portuguese rule. Ever since then, it has become an important part of Goan cuisine.
While seafood is the speciality of the state, trying some Chicken dish does no harm. So, we bring you the recipe of Chicken Cafreal which is a scrumptious delicacy.
Chicken Cafreal is a spicy chicken dish which is must try for all those who love spicy food.
The chicken pieces in this dish are marinated with a puree of coriander and a melange of spices. It also has the tang of tamarind paste which makes it mouth-watering.
It is a perfect side dish recipe for a date night with your special one. You can also serve it at kitty parties, anniversaries and buffets.
Your guests will go crazy over this unique chicken dish. It needs to be refrigerated for around 6-8 hours after marination, so we advise you to marinate it at night and prepare the dish the next morning.
So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try this beverage now and relish it with your loved ones.
Ingredients
5 Servings
500 grams chicken
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt as required
For Marination
200 grams chopped coriander leaves
20 grams crushed to paste ginger
4 cloves crushed to paste garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 inch’s cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon powdered turmeric
1 tablespoon tamarind
4 green chillies
Instructions
- To prepare this delicious dish, wash the chicken properly and cut it into pieces. Transfer them in a large bowl.
- all the ingredients required for marination in the food processor and blend them into a smooth paste.
- Add this mixture to the chicken pieces and marinate the chicken with it. Make sure all the pieces are coated evenly.
- Place this bowl in the refrigerator for 6- 8 hours or overnight.
- Then, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Let it stay at the room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium flame and gently add the chicken pieces to it. Add salt as per your taste. Cover the pan with a lit and let the chicken cook for 7-8 minutes or till it turns brown.
- cooked, transfer the pieces to a serving platter and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Sausage Pulao
Hot and tangy Goa Sausage tastes delicious no matter what you combine it with! In this easy to cook pulao, it makes for a delicious, wholesome meal.
Ingredients
1½ cups- Basmati Rice
200g- Goan Sausages / Goan Chorizo
4- Green cardamom (roughly crushed)
1″ (3 pieces)- Cinnamon
4- Cloves
2- Bay leaves
1½- Boiled potatoes (medium-sized)
¾ tsp- Chilli flakes
Salt to taste
4 tbsp- Ghee/Clarified butter
- Green onion (chopped)
1 large- Onion (chopped)
10-12- Garlic cloves (chopped)
2 tbsp- Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
Instructions
- rice under running water, cook and keep aside.
- the threads, sausage casing and take out the meat, roughly chop, keep aside.
- the boiled potatoes into cubes, keep aside.
- Heat ghee in a frying pan (non-stick preferably), temper with green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves.
- Add chopped onion and sauté until light brown in colour on medium heat. Add chopped garlic, sauté for a few seconds. Add boiled potatoes, sauté until the potatoes look lightly fried (1-2 minutes).
- Add the chopped Sausages, mix well and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, keep stirring in between. The sausage meat will start releasing its own oil at this stage.
- Add the cooked rice, salt, chopped coriander leaves, green onion, and chilli flakes. Gently mix everything well, stir & cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, serve hot.
