Best of Goan Cooking

Almost every Goan housewife, who has something to do with cooking at home and has referred to written recipes, has heard the name of JOYCE FERNANDES sometime or other. Of course, hundreds of them possess Joyce's highly popular cookbooks, which have proved handy for many a a bride, suddenly thrown in the kitchen soon after marriage. Others pick up the books to try out their hand on some new recipes and thus the recipes have reached far and wide. Read on for this month's choice.

The Filling: 1 kg. fine prawns, 4 tbsps oil, 5 large onions (chopped fine), 6 tbsps. Spice Paste No.6, 4 tbsps. sugar, 1/2 coconut milk.

Clean the prawns and apply salt. Heat oil, brown the onion and mix the prawns. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, add spice paste, sugar and salt to taste. Add coconut milk and cook till dry.

For the Batter: 250 gms rice (soaked overnight), 1/2 grated coconut, 1/4 bottle toddy, 4 egg yolks (beaten), 6 tbsps sugar, 1/2 tsp salt.

Grind the rice and coconut separately using just enough toddy. Mix the ground ingredients together in a large pan. Add egg yolks, sugar and salt. A little more toddy may be added in case the batter is too dry. Keep aside for 4 hours covered and in a warm place.

To Assemble: Take a greased baking pan, pour half the rice mixture, then spread the prawn mixture evenly. Pour the remaining rice mixture and bake in a preheated over at Gas Mk.4 till well browned. Check piercing a knife to see if it comes out clean. Cool, slice and serve.

400 gms bacalhau, 500 gms tomatoes, 500 gms potatoes, 3 tbsps olive or vegetable oil, 3 flakes garlic, 6 onions (sliced round) and 6 eggs.

Soak the bacalhau overnight. Boil, remove its skin and bones and flake. Blend tomatoes in a mixie adding salt, pepper or 1 green chillie to taste. Pass through a sieve. Boil the potatoes and puree. Heat oil and stir-fry garlic and onions rounds until light brown. Grease ovenproof dish and arrange the flaked bacalhau and fried onions in layers. Spread tomato sauce over fish mixture. Put blobs of potato puree over tomato sacue leaving a little space in between each blob. Beat eggs adding salt and pepper to taste and pour over the whole mixture. Bake until eggs turn golden brown. On gas Mk.4.

1 kg pigling meat, heart, liver and kidney; 2 onions (chopped), 3 tbsps. fat or oil, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 1/2 tbsp Spice Paste No.6, 1 cup tamarind juice, 1 tsp sugar, 2 green chillies, salt and vinegar, 1 cup port blood (mixed) fresh into 1/2 cup vinegar).

Wash the meat, etc well. Cut into bite sizes and apply salt. Fry the onion with fat until browned. Add meat pieces etc and giner-garlic paste and stir-fry till water begins to appear. Mix the next 4 ingredients and allow to boil. Salt and vinegar to be added if required. Finally, add the pork blood but mash it fine separately and stir it evenly into the cabidela. Cook till meat is soft.