Tonak/ Goan Cuisine / Green Peas curry goan style

Goa is my favorite destination…well I said what everyone says pretty much in India and elsewhere. I find the cuisine very similar to my native which borders the union territory however has its own distinctive taste.

I spoke about my experience in Goa which was pretty unusual considering for most it is the capital Panjim which defines the territory while I spent mine in one of the villages. The mornings always (always!) were tonak pav. I can tell you that each morning I looked forward to the elaborate breakfast served by all the ladies in the home almost like it was a ritual woven in their dna.
The taste of that tonak pav is ofcourse no where closer to what I make and I think it is primarily due to the ingredients going in it.

Last time when I did goan cuisine for the BM themes, I presented a few dishes like Xacuti and carrot pickle but missed making this tonak pav for the blog. This time I did not want to miss the opportunity. 

Ingredients

1 cup dried green or white peas (soaked overnight)

1 tbsp grated fresh coconut 

1 tbsp grated dry coconut (optional or replace with fresh)

1 onion finely sliced

2 tspn coriander cumin powder

1 tspn black pepper whole

1 tspn aniseeds/ suanf

1 tspn poppy seeds

2 to 3 cloves

1 inch cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

2 tspn red chilli powder(use less if you prefer)

1 inch stick of cinnamon

1 tspn mustard seeds

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 tspn turmeric powder

salt to tase

Oil to cook

Method

1) Wash the soaked peas with clean water. Pressure cook them for 2 whistles with some salt

2) Dry roast the coconut and all dry masala individually.

3) Shallow fry the onions with some oil

4) Grind this masala and onions to a fine paste

5) In a pan, heat some oil, add mustard seeds, and the masala paste

6) Next add the peas and red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well

7) Add the tamarind pulp and stir again

8) Add salt to taste

9) Add some water if required and let it simmer

Please note that I add a hint of kashmiri red chilli to bring some color which is other wise not the color of authentic tonak to make it more appealing, but the taste is simply amazing. Always eat it with fresh buns/ pav

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Carrot Pickle (Goan Style)

This recipe, was not learnt in Goa but much later, when I ate vinegar based pickles, I started exploring for more recipes. This has excellent sweet and sour flavor that comes from vinegar. Infact with some more spices in it, the same base sauce can be used to make meat based pickles as well. Especially chicken, I think boil it and then follow the recipe. My cousin, often eats the chicken pickle Goan style for his lunch stuffed in bread or bhakri. He says that he can live on this pickle for life, I cannot talk about that chicken pickle but am similarly fond of this carrot pickle. Make a wrap with any vegetable that you dont like and top it with pickle , you will love the tangy flavor this one brings out.
I served this rice bhakri. Made a roll using the bhakri, stuffed with spicy zhunka, fresh spring onions roughly chopped and loads of carrot pickle..it was the best wrap I have had till now..

Ingredients
1 cup carrot julienne
 2 tspn ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (you can use any other vinegar, but I like the taste of Apple Cider)
1 tspn red chilli powder
1/2 tspn turmeric
salt to taste
2 tspn Canola Oil (or any other non flavor oil)

Method
1) Rub the carrots with salt and set it aside for 10-20 min or until you are done with the rest of the preparations
2) In a deep sauce pan, heat oil, add ginger garlic paste. Saute it
3) In another bowl, mix the vinegar, turmeric and chilli powder 
4) Add the carrots to the pan and saute it for a minute
5) Add the Vingear mixture and let it simmer till the carrots become slightly cooked but yet have the crunch.
6) Remove from heat and let it cool down. Keep in a jar in refrigerator for 1 week.

Pictures- If you think the pictures have improved, I am definitely taking advantage of the rule of 1/3rd and some other tricks. Courtesy – Vaishali Sabnani

Canola Oil – I am using a lot of canola oil in my cooking offlate and am completely sold out. Though I have always used the oil in the past when not in India, this is the first time I used the oil here, courtesy my gift pack recieved from Hudson. Hudson have recently launched their canola oil in India. I would urge you to try it once to know the goodness. Am not paid for this review, the opinion is based on personal experience.

Egg Xacuti (Shakuti)

Goan recipes are incomplete without their staple fish and meat. The closest I can come to fish and meat at home is using eggs although mostly in baking, I wanted to feed my son with this beautiful egg curry. So when I got opportunity to experiment this cuisine during the BM 26 theme runs, I thought about this first. I was tempted to make potato and mixed vegetables but knew the flavors come right only when you add something sharp and stronger smelling ingredient in it .
Talking about my adventures in Goa, our daily authentic breakfast while we were at the wedding- I mentioned about here, used to be kalwan with fresh baked kadak pav( hard dinner rolls). Early morning, after bath, we were all made to sit on the floor of the long passage that was closer to the kitchen. Then, someone quickly served us with hot tea and a dish containing the kalwan usually made with black eyed peas or other local variants. It used to be the best tasting kalwan. Fulfilling enough for us to sustain till early noon when we were treated with xacuti (pronounced as Shakuti) made using prawns or chicken (rarely) or some fresh catch. This time served with steaming hot rice ..

Ingredients
2 medium onions finely chopped
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut (use dessicated)
2 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin seeds powder
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chillies
1/2 tspn fenugreek seeds (optional)
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 inch ginger
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 tspn poppy seeds
3-4 soft boiled eggs (slightly sauteed on pan with ghee)
1 tbsp Oil

Method
1) In a large pan, heat some oil, add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute till the onions are nicely browned
2) Remove and set aside, heat the grated coconut in the same pan and cook it till it gives out nice aroma
3) Saute the poppy seeds for a min in the same pan.
4) Now grind the onion mixture, coconut, fresh coriander, red chillies, coriander-cumin powder, fenugreek seeds in the mixie to make a fine paste
5) In the pan, heat the remaining oil, add the ground paste along with water and let it simmer
6) Add salt to taste and pop in the boiled eggs, Cover and let it simmer for a min.
7) Serve hot with steamed rice or rice bhakri

Coconut Rice

My earliest association with Goa has been filled with so many fond memories that no matter how many trips I make to the state, it fails to erase the first impression I made of the city nor does it faintly create another….I clearly remember the 10-12 days that I spent in the rustic parts of Goa to attend a childhood friend’s wedding. She was the youngest bride I had ever known and we (me and my elder sister) were completely unaware of the realities of life, barely in our teens we had those twinkles in our eyes when life seemed like a huge bed of roses. I suppose that wedding also felt like those games we play with our respective dolls …until we had to depart and bid our friend a bye. We then realized what it means to grow up…..eventually all of us got married one after the other and life is where it is now….yet, I think, that the realization of what it is being married and leaving your parents cocoon struck me only in Goa. 
This was only on the last day of our beautiful trip in Goa, however what I very clearly remember are those funfilled days, before the marriage with the bride in tow, we went for trekking in the mountains, reaching the temple by road when the elders took jeeps and cars, and yet outdoing in pace, eating the delicious home made food by the bride’s mom daily to get done with the chore of filling the guest’s tummy and then letting us be. The evenings when the groom’s friends were sneaking us out to show the grandeur side of Goa, and the hip life.
For the next three days of BM # 26, I will recreate the beautiful dishes that aunty made for us using the fresh produce in goa…

Ingredients
2 cups Basmati Rice (or any other local rice you prefer)
4 cups medium coconut milk (Use 3 coconuts to extract the milk)
1 medium size onion thinly sliced 
1/2 tspn cloves
1 tspn black pepper whole
1 inch cinnamon
2 tbsp cashews
1 tbsp Oil
Method
1) In a large pan, heat the oil.
2) Add the onions, cashews, black pepper, cinnamon and cloves and saute till the onions are slightly browned
3) Next add the washed rice and stir in well.
4) Now slowly add the coconut milk continuously (though gently) stirring.
5) Reduce the stove flame to medium or low and cover the pan.
6) Let it cook till the rice is completely cooked.
7) Serve hot with xacuti or gravy of your choice.