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Goan Sausage Meat Recipe

With my limited experience of trying sausages/chorizo from different countries, I can say in all honesty I haven’t found anything close to a Goan sausage. Maybe the Mexican El Pastor Recipe could have some resemblance. This mouth-watering pork sausage that is sun-dried, smoked and spiced with garlic, ginger, red chillies, spices and vinegar is definitely out of this world. When a Goan catholic leaves home that is one sure food they will always miss. This intense flavored sausage can be used to make many recipes including Sausage Chilli Fry, Chouriço Paochouriço Pulao, Feijoada and Sausage and Potato Curry.

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I remember my mom making it during her summer holidays and storing it in a ceramic airtight jar for months. She would be particular that only she would take out the meat from the jar. One thing I do remember my mother’s preserves would last a real long time because she took so much care and was extremely clean in handling them.

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This recipe requires time, patience and being careful. To make the Goan sausages, pork is a meat of choice but you can use beef or chicken. Back in Goa “Salt Petre” also know as “Potassium Nitrate” is used as a meat preserve. I have skipped using Salt Petre after reading about its different uses in US and am not comfortable using it in foods.

Goan Sausage Meat Recipe

Serving Size: 3 lbs of preserved sausage meat

Ingredients

3 lbs of pork meat with fat (1:2 fat to meat ratio) cut in 1/2″ cubes

1.5-2 pods of garlic crushed

2 packets of Goan Choriz Sausage Meat Masala

1/2 tsp of sugar

2 tbsp of salt

2 tbsp of vinegar

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Directions:

Wash the cut meat and dry it well with a paper towel. Apply salt, vinegar and put weight on the meat. Check every couple of hours and drain the water out. Let the meat stand for at-least 24 hours.

Drain out any more liquid that is released. Wipe the meat again with dry paper towel. Apply the sausage masala paste, crushed garlic, sugar and keep in the sun covered with a mess. Stir the meat couple every couple of hours. Drain out any liquid. Repeat for 1 or 2 days. The meat will look dry. Transfer to a glass jar with a glass lid or plastic. Avoid any metal lids as they will rust due to vinegar. Store in a cool dry place for couple of months. Use only dry wooden or plastic spoon.

You can stuff the meat in natural casing and dry it again in the sun for a day and smoke it under indirect fire wood heat.

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Sausage Roll / Choriz Pao Meat Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lbs of sausage meat

2 medium onions sliced vertically

Directions:

In a hot skillet add the chopped onion and sausage meat and saute on medium heat for 10-15 minutes till the meat is cooked and the onions soften.

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Stuff in a hot-dog roll for Sausage Roll or in a Pao for Chouriço Pao. This spicy sausage goes really well with chilled beer. Chouriço Pao is a very popular street food in Goa and also for feasts celebrated by Catholics, it is a great snack food to sell to raise funds for various church groups.


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Chicken Meatballs Curry

Goan meatball curry is a very simple recipe. It is traditionally made using ground beef. I have used ground chicken instead as my husband does not do too well with beef. This recipe is not a common occurrences in Goa and you may not find it on restaurant menus. I have seen a few variation online but I am sharing my Tiazinha’s(aunty in portuguese) recipe. God Bless her soul. It’s been 17 years since she went to be with the Lord. She was a great cook, a violinist in the local orchestra, Linguist and sewed vestments for the local priest. She was very strict and was very involved in our upbringing as my parents were full-time working parents. So I dedicate this post to my loving Titi.

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Here is Titi’s pictures that I took from an old album when I went down to Goa this January for my dad’s funeral. I just wanted to carry the memories with me back to the US.

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For an American the most popular meatball recipe is the Italian Meatball Recipe where cheese, bread crumbs and tomatoes are the main ingredients. The goan version has a hint of spices, ginger, garlic, vinegar. If ground beef is used then skip the bread. 

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Jeerem-Meerem (cumin spice mix/masala in konkani) is an everyday spice mix for meats and fish in Goa. By adding fresh ginger, garlic and grinding it in vinegar makes a wet paste. Coconut vinegar plays a very important role in Goan cooking specially for meats and fish. You can make it dry and store it in an airtight container for couple of months in a cool dry place or the freezer. This recipe should yield about 2 tsp of mix which can be used with 2-2.5 lbs of meat.

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Jeerem-Meerem Recipe

Yields: 2 tsp of spice mix

Ingredients:

1 tsp of cumin powder

3/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp of red chilli powder

1/8 tsp of black pepper

1/8th tsp of cloves powder

Mix it together and store in a dry spice bottle

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Serving Size: 12 meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lbs of ground beef or chicken or turkey

1 medium onion chopped finely

4-6 garlic cloves grated

1″ grated ginger

1 slice bread

1 beaten egg

10 sprigs of fresh cilantro chopped

1.5 tsp of jeerem-meerem spice mix

1 tsp of vinegar

1/4 tsp of sugar

2 cups of water

1 tomato chopped finely

Salt to taste

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Directions:

In a bowl mix the ground meat/mince with 1/2 the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, bread, egg, cilantro, salt and spice mix. Make 12 balls.

(With ground chicken if you find it hard to shape the balls use a spoon to shape and drop them into gravy)

In a heated pot saute the remaining onion till soft. Next add the tomatoes and jeerem-meerem, vinegar, sugar and saute for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of vinegar is gone. Add the water, season with salt and bring the gravy to a simmer. Add the meatballs and cook covered on medium heat for 25-30 minutes while checking and stirring occasionally.

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I made a variation by stuffing a few of my meatballs with couple pieces of my Goan Sausage Meat for an extra kick in flavor. Enjoy it with rice or with a side of vegetables.


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Atoll – Rice and Channa Dal Pudding

Atoll (Attol) is a slowly disappearing Goan sweet recipe. It is gluten-free. Made with rice, yellow channa dal, coconut and cardamom. We grew up eating a lot of homemade evening tea snacks and sweets in Goa. Some of them being Moong Dal Gorchem, Boiled Sweet Potatoes, Moong Dal Chunn, Alle Belle, Xiro, Banana Pancakes, Nankhatais, Baath, Pinaca, Patolios, Doce de Grao, Bolinhas de Coco and a few more.

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Many of the Goan recipes are gluten-free, Atoll is one of them. The Goan coconut jaggery plays an important role in many of the Goan sweets. It has a rich dark brown color and is made from coconut sap that is boiled down till hardened to form small triangular blocks. It melts very easily and soften to touch. It has the same amount of calories as regular sugar but has vitamin and minerals. Since it is not refined it’s a great alternative to regular white sugar. You can read more about the differences between the two here.

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Please note: For this recipe instead of yellow channa dal I have used split green peas (green pea dal) as it is readily available at the grocery stores in the US. I also had to replace a full freshly grated coconut with frozen grated coconut and coconut milk. And finally if you do not have access to coconut jaggery than you can use regular jaggery or molasses.

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Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw rice (washed and cooked as per instructions)

1/2 cup split green peas or yellow channa dal ( washed and cooked as per instructions)

1/2 cup grated frozen coconut

1 cup of coconut milk

4-5 crushed whole cardamom

1.5 to 2 square of coconut jaggery or 1/3 cup of molasses

Pinch of salt

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Directions:

Cook the rice and dal as per instructions, once’s done in a pot add the cooked rice, dal and the remaining ingredients. Keep stirring them together for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat till the rice thickens like pudding.

Transfer in a 9-inch spring-form pan and let cool and set for at-least 30-60 minutes.

Slice and enjoy with your evening tea or as a dessert. You can refrigerate the rest for a couple of days. Just warm it up in the microwave for couple of seconds before serving.

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Variations:

You can make another similar dish called as Orna which is made by soaking the rice overnight and ground into a paste and cooked to a pudding consistency. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir together for another 10 to 12 minutes till it thickens.


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Spicy Sauteed Portebello Mushrooms

Firstly, remembering all the precious life’s lost this day 14th years ago. Praying for them and the loved one’s they left behind. America the Resilient Nation.

My husband and me have really enjoyed this recipe for the last couple weeks. I have been making it quite often since I found that Costco has the best priced Portobello Mushrooms in my area. Since we avoid eating rice for most of our meals cooking healthy but well seasoned vegetables has become a necessity to replace rice. What I love about this recipe it is vegan, vegetarian and taste better the next day.

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It you want to just grill the mushrooms than you can use the recheado masala as a marinade as well. Serve with rice. Use left overs to make sandwich with some mayo or as a filling for a wrap. Stuff into puff pastry sheets the sautéed Portobello’s and bake to make a quick snack.

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Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

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5 Portobello mushroom sliced in length

2 medium onions sliced

2 tbsp of recheado masala

1/4 tsp of sugar

salt to taste

Directions:

With a wet cloth cleans the mushroom gently. Take the gills with the back of the spoon (If you do not clean then it makes the mushrooms almost black in color). Slice them length wise.

In a heated skillet saute the onions till translucent. Add the recheado masala, sugar, mushroom and salt to taste.  Saute for 7-10 minutes till the mushrooms are tender.

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This recipe is perfect for weekdays for busy people on the go since you need only 3 ingredients and little prep work ahead. It stays well for a couple of days in the refrigerator and can be used in many ways. If you have a recipe on how you cook your mushrooms than please feel free to share your link in the comment section of this post.


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Oxtail Curry Recipe

I have only eaten oxtail 3 times in the past 10 plus years. That is quite out of whack ratio to say the least. One thing for sure if cooked right  it makes for a fall of the bone recipe. I wanted for a while to make oxtail but since my mum had never made it I was not to sure about the spices to use until 3 weeks ago I made my Goan Jeerem-Meeram dry spice mix to cook my Chicken Meatballs Recipe and a blogger friend asked me about how many ways the Jeerem-Meerem spice mix could be used. That is when my tubelight came on( Indian slang forbrain wave or finally got it“) and  decided to use it to make my Oxtail Curry. Goan’s use this spice mix a lot by tweaking the basic mix for meats and fish. Oxtail is very popular in many countries including the US and Mexico.

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Since the oxtail has a lot of fat I wanted to cook in its own fat. For this I just marinated the meat with the spice mix along with fresh ginger, garlic, vinegar, tomatoes and onions before I cooked it in the pressure cooker. Pressure cooker are the “NEW IT” in American kitchens. This recipe can be used for making Oxtail in the crock-pot, slow cooker or dutch oven.

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If you are a Goan looking for Ard Mas(Bone Meat) Recipe you can use pork meat and follow the same recipe.

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients:

8 lbs of Oxtail

2 tbsp of jeerem meerem spice mix

1.5″ of grated ginger

8 cloves of grated garlic

2 tsp vinegar

1/4 tsp of sugar

3 ripe tomatoes chopped

2 medium onions chopped

1.5 cup water

salt to taste

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Directions:

Wash the meat, trim the excess fat.

Apply all the above ingredients and let marinate for 2-4 hrs or more before adding water into the pressure cooker and cooking it for 7 whistles about 45 minutes.

Let cool and the pressure be released before opening the cooker.

Slowly skim off all the visible fat before serving.

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Serve with white rice, or soak the mouth-watering gravy with some hot bread. You can add boiled potatoes or serve it with country potatoes on the side.

Time Required for different Cooking Methods of Oxtail:

Crockpot: 2-3 hours by adding  2-3 cups of water

Dutch Oven: 350F for 3-4 Hrs

Slow Cooker: 8 Hrs or overnight on low setting OR 3-4 Hrs on high

Stove Top: 2-3 Hrs covered on medium heat add 2-3 cups water


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Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

This recipe appealed for 2 reasons. Firstly Goan’s use beans to make sweets/desserts like Doce de Grao (Gluten-free Coconut Bars), Gorchem ( Moong Dal Pudding with coconut milk), Atoll (Rice and split pea pudding)and secondly I try to eat gluten-free often. I had to try this recipe 3 times till I got it right (according to my oh so humble opinion :-) ) and along the way I came up with a cupcakes recipe. My kids enjoyed these brownie as long as they did not know they were made with black beans but after overhearing my conversation with a friend they just decided it was not to cool to eat black bean brownie no more.

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My recipe is made with reduced sugar. Here are a few variations you can make.

Replace the oil with 1 ripe avocado

Sugar with 10-15 medjool dates.

Make it vegan by replacing the egg with a Flax Seed Egg.

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Serving Size: 9 brownies

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained (1-3/4 cups)

1/3 – 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp of vanilla

3 tbsp of cocoa powder

3 tbsp of oil or 1 mashed avocado

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/8 tsp of salt

1/4 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup crushed walnuts/ cashews/pistachios (optional)

1/2 cup crushed raspberries (optional)

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Directions:

Heat oven to 350F

Mash or use a food processor to mash the drained beans.

In a bowl mix all the remaining ingredients well eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, oil, salt, chocolate chips, nuts and crushed raspberries.

Add the mashed beans to the mixture. Pour in a 9″ brownie pan or in muffin pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check after 25 till the top looks set and toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy with a nice glass of milk.

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Easy Oven Baked Barbecue Ribs

Making ribs can either be easy or intimidating and I was latter. All the baking, basting and pasting just seemed too confusing to me :-) till I saw a snippet of easy oven baked ribs on Disney Jr when my kids were watching TV. Everyone has a preference of the type of ribs they like. Some like it dry (Memphis Style Ribs), sauced, sweet, savory or spicy. My husband and me enjoy dry savory ribs and my sons like sauced sweet ribs.

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                                      Oven Baked Sauced Ribs

Making the dry rub was easy and me the impatient person that I am did not want to bake them at 225F but at 350F. My Goan infused dry spice rub made me very anxious and edgy till the ribs were done and I had my first taste. I added cloves, chile and cinnamon powder which are a common ingredients for most of Goan Meat cooking recipes.

Ribs Dry Rub Recipe

Serving Size: 8 -10 lbs of ribs

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cumin powder

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

2 tbsp or 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp of ancho or chipotle

2 tbsp of sea salt

1 tbsp of pepper powder

2 tbsp of chili powder or cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp of cloves (optional)

1 tbsp of cinnamon powder (optional)

Direction:

Mix all the powders together and store in an air-tight container.

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Researching online I figured 8 steps to follow for making my Easy Oven baked Ribs.

  1. Marinate ribs in liquid smoke overnight or at least 2 hours
  2. Dry with paper towel.
  3. Heat oven to 350F
  4. Apply the dry rub and massage on both sides.
  5. Wrap the ribs in layers of  heavy-duty aluminum foil.
  6. Bake for 2 hrs.
  7. Let it rest for 1 hour
  8. Apply sauce of choice and broil on high for 7 minutes(keep a close eye as it can get easily burnt unattended).

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Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

4-5 lbs of spare or short ribs.

1/2 part of above dry rub

6 tbsp of Mesquite liquid smoke

8 cups of water

2 tbsp of sea salt

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Directions:

Wash and clean the ribs. Carefully take the sliverskin under the ribs (helps to season the back of the ribs better). In a large bowl soak the ribs overnight or at least 2hrs minimum with liquid smoke, salt and water.

Heat over to 350F

Dry the ribs with a paper towel, rub them with dry spice mix on both sides.

Place them in 3 to 4 heavy-duty aluminium foil wrapper and seal the ribs well.

Place then in the oven and baked for 2hrs till done.

Let the ribs rest for about 1 hour without opening the foil.

Baste it with barbecue sauce of choice( I used the Texas Style Spicy Smoky Mesquite Sauce) and broil it on high about 7-8 minutes so it does not burn.

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Enjoy with a nice side of Steamed Garlic Soy Green Beans.

Please share your recipes or tips on making ribs in the comment section. I would love to hear from you since I am still a novice at this :-)


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No Crust Baked Cheesecake Recipe

My kids love cheese cake and when I attempted to make my first one it was exciting to note how easy it was to make with just 4 ingredients. My ambitiously lazy self always looks for ways to make easy, low-calorie desserts without compromising the flavors. This weekend I am making some more cheesecake for a friend’s birthday and am going to add some pumpkin for fiber and color :-)

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Cheese cake reminds me of a dessert which Goan’s make called Posu. It is made with cows Colostrum, it is the first milk the cow gives after it has given birth. To that sugar, nutmeg and a hint of turmeric is added and then steamed for 15 -20 minutes to form a thick pudding. Chilled and enjoyed. I love this sweet. It is a rare treat  in Goa as colostrum is not sold in stores. You need to know a generous farmer who would share it. We were lucky  enough growing up to know one. Three generations of farmers had delivered fresh milk to my family. By the time we were in college the milk-man (dudkar) had stopped coming. Last time I visited Goa my Madrinha(God-Mother) had made some and I enjoyed every bit of it.

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Serving Size: 9″ Round

Ingredients:

2 packs of 1/3 fat cream cheese

1/2-3/4 cup organic sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

2 room temperature eggs

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Sour Cream Topping (optional)

1.5 cup sour cream

1/4-1/2  cup sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F

Cream the eggs and sugar first. Next add the cream cheese and vanilla.

Pour in a 9″ round greased pie dish. Bake for 30 minutes till you see a golden brown edging and the toothpick comes out clear.

Cool and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2hrs.

If topping with sour cream whisk the 3 ingredient well. Spread the mixture on a cooled cheese cake and then chill for 2-3 hours before serving.

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Enjoy as a light dessert. Great for parties as you can make it a day early.


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Trout Ambot-Tik

Ambot-Tik when translated from Konkani( Goa’s local language) to English means “Sour and Spicy“. Did that get your mouth-watering because when you make this fish curry the smell will literally water your mouth. It’s the tamarind, vinegar and spices combo that makes it happen.  This curry does not use coconut milk like the famous Goan Fish Curry. Goan make this curry using either Shark or Catfish. I used trout since it is a popular fish here in the US (Psst!…I am not a big fan of shark or catfish ;-) ).

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Ambot-tik is one of the curries which brings back some great summer time memories when we would get hungry and enjoy the leftover curry the next day with fresh-baked Goan Pao (bread).

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Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

2 regular sized whole trout or 4 fillet shark/catfish

3-4 tbsp of ambot-tik paste (depending on your spice level)

1 medium onion diced

2 cups of water

1/8 tsp of sugar

oil

salt to taste

Directions:

If using the fish whole, clean the fish of scales with the back of your knife, wash of the scales. Then cut in 4 equal portions or leave whole. Apply a little salt and keep aside.

Next heat a pot with oil add the chopped onions and saute till light brown. Add the ambot-tik paste and saute for a 1-2 minutes till the raw spice smell goes.

Next add water and cover and bring the curry to a simmer.

Finally add the fish, season with salt and sugar and cook covered on medium heat till the fish is cooked well. I cooked it for 20 minutes.

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Enjoy the sour and spicy curry with white rice, torta or bolillo bread.


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Punjabi Chana or Chole Bhature – Garbanzo Beans Curry

I ate my first Punjabi Chole Bhature only after I came to the US as it was a popular dish in most Indian Restaurants. Goan’s make something similar with split green peas and same deep-fried bread called Puri (bhatura).  My husband had been saying he wanted to eat some Chana Batura for a couple of weeks till we had friends visit who said they had just eaten some. Feeling bad for him I decided to make it the next day for Sunday Lunch. I did experiment with the Bhatura(puri/fried bread) using unbleached whole wheat flour. They turned out soft and puffy which surprised me since it was my first attempt at making them from scratch. The flip side, I did not keep a track of the measures. So I will have to share the bhatura (fried bread) recipe at a different time.

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It is a perfect vegan recipe. You can also substitute the beans with chicken and make an incredible Chicken Curry. This recipe may get you overwhelmed by the sheer variations in spices but trust me it is worth every bit. My fussy 5-year-old enjoys it every time I make it. You can skip the chili and it still has lots of flavor.

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Ps Note: This recipe is prefect for the home cook’s who likes to be in charge of quality control :-)  I cooked my own beans using a pressure cooker. The reason I did that is because I came across an article that was published recently about cancer causing foods in America. Canned foods and excessive salt were named along with some more foods. If you are a new owner of a pressure cooker then you should add this recipe to your list.

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Serving Size: 6-8

Boiling Chana/Garbanzo in a Pressure Cooker

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dried chana/chickpea/garbanzo beans or 5 cans of low sodium garbanzo beans.
  • 5-6 cups water
  • 1 tbsp of salt

Directions:

Soak the chana/kabuli overnight. Drain the water. In a pressure cooker add the soaked chana, salt and enough water to cover the beans about 5-6 cups of water.

Pressure cook for 6-7 whistle about 35-45 minutes.

Take of heat and let stand till all the steam is released and it is safe to open the cooker.  (Please for your safety follow this step.) 

Whole Spices

  • 2 bay leaf
  • 5 green cardamom
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 8 black peppercorns
  • 2″ cinnamon stick

Wet Paste

  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1″ ginger
  • 1 green chili (optional)

Powder Spices

  • 1 tbsp of coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp of dry mango/ amchoor powder
  • 1 tsp of red chili powder
  • 1 tsp of turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp of garam masala powder
  • pinch of asafoedita
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

Grind the wet ingredients with no water. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a separate pan. Add whole spices till the oil becomes fragrant.

Next add wet paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the side of the paste. About 10-13 minutes.

To this add the powder spices, saute for 1-2 minutes till it mixes well.

You either can transfer the spice paste to the pressure cooker, add water, season with salt and cook it for 2 more whistle.

OR If using the same pan add the water, salt and chana to the pan and cook for another 20 minutes on medium heat covered.

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Serve with hot bhature or with rice and a side of onions marinated with pickle.

www.goanimports.com


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Baked Pumpkin Pudding

My kids and I enjoy pumpkin desserts and since it is raining pumpkins, I decided to jump on board. Ever since my kids have figured that mom can bake, they now think I am a 24/7 bakery. My oldest wanted me to bake a pumpkin pie. But mom always has wise plans, I wanted to skip the pie crust ;-) My first try wasn’t as successful but I think for my taste the second try worked out well. I balanced the pie-crust calories by replacing milk with heavy cream :-)

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This recipe does not have the trilogy of pumpkin spices but just nutmeg. If you love eggnog with its bold flavor of nutmeg then I am sure you will enjoy this pumpkin pudding recipe. My puddings are not overly sweet and I do not use a water bath to bake it.

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Serving: 4-6 ramekins or 9″ pie pan

Ingredients:

2 cups pumpkin puree

4 whole eggs

6-8 tbsp of raw sugar

1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup heavy cream

pinch of salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F

Cream sugar, nutmeg, salt and eggs.

Next add the cream. Mix well.

Finally add the pumpkin puree.

Spray your pie pan or ramekins. Pour in the mixture. Place the bake-ware on a cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minute till a toothpick comes clean.

Let cool and then refrigerate for 1-4 hrs.

Serve with some home-made whipped cream and pumpkin seeds.

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Love Pumpkin, then here are some more recipes you can check out Creme Brulee in Mini-Pumpkin’s Recipe here. Also a Creamy Pumpkin Curry Recipe with coconut milk.

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Creme Brulee in Mini Pumpkin | Goan Imports

Please feel free to share your Pumpkin Recipe’s in the comment section :-)


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Creamy Mushroom and Peas Curry

Last couple week’s I wanted to make a creamy curry recipe but was just being lazy. As I consume more vegetables than rice, I am constantly looking for variations in my recipes. But most often I windup making cabbage soup. So searching online I came across a south Indian Mushroom and Pea’s Recipe that I altered to my taste and made it more efficient.

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This recipe calls for first sauteing the vegetables separately and then cooking it in the curry. Secondly the curry is made by grinding coconut and cashews, I added some heavy cream towards the end. The cream tones the spiciness if you do not like spicy foods. Also as and Indian we love pasta but with a tad bit of spice, this is another way you can use the creamy Mushroom Pea Curry.

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Serving: 8-10

Ingredients:

16 oz of white/brown mushrooms

2 cups fresh/frozen peas

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium tomato chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/2″ ginger

1/2 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut

10-12 cashew nut’s

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of mustard seeds

1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

1/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds

1 tsp of grama masala

1 tsp of coriander powder

1.5 cups of water

pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp of chili powder (optional)

3 tbsp of cold heavy cream (optional)

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peas-and-mushrooms-creamy-curry-sauce-recipe-ingredients

Directions:

Wash the mushrooms and cut them into quarters, length wise.

Grind coconut, ginger, garlic and cashews to a paste, keep aside.

Heat oil in a pot and add the mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds till it splutter. Next add the chopped onions and saute till soft.

Follow with chopped tomatoes till they soften then add the turmeric, chili, garam masala, coriander powder and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Next add the ground paste, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, salt and sugar cover and bring the curry/gravy to a boil.

Finally add the peas and mushrooms, check on seasoning and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes covered. Finally add cold heavy cream for the last-minute or two.

Garnish with curry leaf or fresh chopped cilantro/coriander.

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Enjoy with plain rice, roti or bread.


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Sticky Chicken 65

I came across a Chicken 65 Recipe online sometime last week. It brought back great memories from my college days. About that time it was just starting to surface on restaurant menu’s and parties and getting to be a popular appetizer. But it is always the first time when you like something that is the impression you remember. I have tried it a couple of times after I came to the US but there was always something amiss. It either was dry, lacked seasoning or sweetness. When I started to search for the recipe I was surprised to find that it was a popular street food in south Indian. My understanding for the longest time was an Indo-Chinese recipe. A cross between tandoori and chicken manchurian.

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The fried red chicken pieces is very distinctive of chicken 65. I do not recall ever making this recipe. Mind you, I started my cooking adventures at an early age of 9.  My first recipe being mixed vegetable soup and then experimenting with beef, prawns/shrimp and chicken and other types of soups. For a couple of years my Christmas gifts were cook books. Stuffed tomatoes, meat pies made with Maggie noodle as a base, Indo-Chinese recipes and desserts followed. I was fortunate to have a very supporting family who enjoyed my home cooked foods, specially my dad and brother.

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For any recipe that I cannot remember too well I tend to go by my memory of taste, texture and smell. Trying to search for the recipe for Chicken65 I could not find anyone that struck a chord. Going with my gut and the number of recipes I saw online this is my version knowing that I may be called out on the ingredients. The wise-nut that I am, I decide to appropriately name it as Sticky Chicken 65. These deep-fried puppies get tossed in a light sweet and sour gravy. They are served dry or wet but I like them wet. I have also replaced the artificial red food color with natural vegetable color (paprika and turmeric). My recipe also has no eggs and white flour. To soften and keep the meat moist the meat was marinated in plain yogurt.

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chicken-65-indian-hyderbadi-wet-gravy-recipe-ingredients

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

Marinade

1 lbs of boneless chicken meat diced in 1″ cubes

1/4 tsp pepper powder

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of cumin powder

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1 tbsp of paprika

Salt to taste

Batter:

4 tbsp of cornflour

1 sprig of curry leaves

Sticky Sauce

1/3 cup of diced bell-pepper

1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste

3-4 tbsp of ketchup

1/4 tsp of cornflour

1/3 cup water

salt to taste

Directions:

Wash the chicken, cut in 1 inch cubes. Apply ginger-garlic paste,pepper,turmeric, paprika, yogurt and salt. Marinate overnight if possible or 1-2 hours least.

Mix the cornflour to coat the pieces of meat. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the piece for 4-5 minutes till done. Drain on paper towel. Once done quickly fry the curry leaves and toss them with the deep-fried chicken pieces.

You can serve it dry or for a sticky coating follow the below steps.

Next heat another pan, saute the bell-pepper about a minute.

Next add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.

Then add the ketchup, cornflour, water and saute till the gravy thickens.

Finally toss in the fried chicken pieces and enjoy it hot.

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Plum Cake -Goan Black Cake

Frankly speaking Goan Plum Cake has nothing to do with plums. I do not know the history as how it was named but I do know that  it still is a very popular cafe. The almost black cake has a flavor of candied orange rinds, blackened sugar and is dense. It smells and taste very close to the Italian Panettone Bread expect it has a cake texture. I enjoy eating this cake for evening tea and it’s on my must have list to bring back from Goa. This recipe has been on my to-do list for a long time. Trying to search for the recipe online was not easy as the search only showed the Famous Goan fruit cake which is made with brandy or rum, dry fruits and nuts. But they were listed as Plum cake. For a Goan born and raised in Goa we sure can tell the difference in recipe.

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As it is that time of the year where costco has a lot of panettone bread I bought some, kept eating and reading the ingredients to guess what the recipe would be. It took me a couple of attempts including adding molasses which was not a really good idea before I got the recipe right. Like I said before, for recipes that I do not know I use my memories of that dish, the way it smells, taste and texture. I am so happy to finally almost nail the recipe. Plum cake is an everyday cake usually served when friends and family drop by. It is a non boozy cake unlike the Goan fruit cake which may look close but has a few more ingredients. It is cut in about 9 x 4″ rectangle with the burnt edges trimmed and wrapped in plastic wrap and sold at bakeries and Tea Cafe’s.Image may be NSFW.
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goan-plum-cake-recipe-collage-of-ingredients

Serving Size: 9 inch loaf pan

Ingredients:

Black Caramel Syrup – Make 30 minutes ahead and let cool

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp of water

Cake Batter

1 cup flour

1 tsp of baking powder

1 stick soft butter

2 eggs

1/2- 3/4 cups sugar ( I used only 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp, I prefer less sugar)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup candied orange rinds

1/4 cup tutti-frutti or candied fruit

1/2 tsp of vanilla  (optional)

Directions:

On medium heat in a heavy bottom pan add the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp of water and heat till the sugar becomes black about 4-6 minutes.

Keep a close eye not to over burn.

Carefully add the remaining water and gently stir till the caramelized sugar turns to syrup.

Take of heat and let cool completely.

Heat oven to 385F.

Grease a loaf pan.

With a hand mixer mix sugar, eggs and softened butter till creamy. Next add the cooled sugar syrup and dried fruits and mix well.

Finally add the flour and baking powder to the batter and mix well.

Pour it in the pan and bake for 26-28 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean.

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Let cool, trim the edges and enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

You can also wrap the cake in saran wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 weeks.

Visit www.goanimports.com


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KulKuls and Carambolas -Goan Christmas Sweets

It was exciting to make these sweet crunchy Christmas sweets with my sons. They enjoy trying different foods and want to learn to cook.  They love watching Food Networks.  It made me happy to pass my traditions and reminded me of my childhood doing the same with my family a week before Christmas. All the excitement, fun of going caroling home to home around our parish, making home cribs, decorating the Christmas trees, participating in singing competitions and going for Christmas Dances. Christmas was a day spent in exchanging Christmas sweets with family, friends and close neighbors.

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This recipe of Kulkuls and Carambolas( Kormolas) is a 2-in-1. Kulkuls are shaped just like the Italian gnocchi, which are shaped on the back of a fork. Carambolas are made by rolling the dough thinly and then cutting them into 2″ inch squares and pinching the opposite ends together to form into a conch shell. The dough is made with just 6 basic ingredients and has no eggs. Flour, coconut milk, butter/ghee, sugar, cream of wheat( rava, for crunch), pinch of salt and then deep-fried golden brown.

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Variations in this recipe.

1) Egg is added to the dough.

2) After being deep-fried sugar is sprinkled or it is dipped in sugar syrup.

3) Cardamom powder is added to the dough.

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Serving Size: 8-10

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 cups approx of coconut milk

5 tbsp of medium cream of wheat / rava

6 tbsp of fine sugar

3 tbsp of melted butter or ghee

pinch of salt

Directions:

Mix the flour and cream of wheat  then add the melted butter and mix it well into the flour.

Next add the sugar and salt, mix well it into the dry flour mixture.

Finally knead the flour with coconut milk to form a moist dough. Cover with a moist kitchen towel and let set for about 10-15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.

To make carambolas roll the dough thin and then with a pizza cutter cut to make approx 2″ squares.

Pinch the opposite ends to together as shown in the above image.

Place on parchment paper and cover with a moist kitchen towel till all the dough is used.

To make kulkuls make small dough balls the size of a dime and roll on the back of the fork.

Continue the above step till all the dough is used.

Heat oil in a deep-frying pan and deep fry the shaped dough till golden brown.

Drain on paper towel. Let cool totally and then store in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

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Enjoy for Christmas celebration’s or with a nice cup of hot tea or coffee.


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Pork Empadinhas

Goan Pork Empadinhas is not to be mistaken with empanadas that are popular in Mexican and South American restaurant. They are made with flour, are sweet and are shaped as mini pies. I have only eaten them twice when I was really young. And now I know why…..they take a lot of egg yolks and time :-) My aunt who lived with us would make all the Portuguese specialties in our family since they were time-consuming and needed attention to details.

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The Goan Pork Empadinhas does have a Portuguese influence. Traditionally empadinhas are made with pork but if you want to make it vegetarian you can use mushroom and follow the same recipe to cook it as below. Do note, the stuffing has to be dry so drain out all the liquid. If you do visit Goa you may not find it on regular restaurant menu’s but ask a Goan born during the Portuguese regime in Goa like my mum’s generation they know about the Empadinhas, Bacalhau (cod fish), Sardinhas à PortuguesaBeef Roulade, Assado de Leitão(Roasted Piglet) and a few more.

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This recipe is a 3 step Process.

  1.  Cooking the pork meat.

2.   Making the sweet dough and shaping them in a muffin pan

3.  Baking the mini Pork Pies at 350F for 18-20 minutes.

I made 12 empadinhas and used the remaining dough and meat to make a Pot of Gold ( as I call it).

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Serving Size: 12 mini pies + 1

Ingredients:

Cooking the pork meat

1.5 lbs of pork meat diced into small cubes

3 medium onions chopped

8 cloves garlic

1.5″ ginger

8 whole cloves

8 whole peppercorns

1.5″ cinnamon stick

1 green chili

1 red chili

1 dime sized tamarind ball

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of vinegar

1 tsp of sugar

1/4 cup water

salt to taste

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Directions:

Wash and cut the meat into tiny cubes.

Grind the garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, tamarind, peppercorns, green & red chili and vinegar to a paste.

Apply salt and ground paste to the cut meat. Keep aside.

In a pot heat oil and saute the onions till soften. Next add the turmeric and saute for a minute.

Add the cut meat, sugar, water season with more salt if needed and saute well till all mixes and cover and cook on medium low heat while checking for 15 -20 minutes. Till the meat is cooked well.

Let cool completely. You can also make this the night before.

Making the sweet dough:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cream of wheat

9 egg yolks

2 tbsp – 3 tbsp of cold milk

6 tbsp of fine sugar

2 tbsp of melted butter

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp of water beaten together to brush the tops (optional)

1/8 tsp of salt

Directions:

Mix the flour, cream of wheat, baking powder, sugar and salt well.

Next add the melted butter and mix it well into the dry ingredients.

Beat the yolks together and pour in and mix to form a dough if the dough id too dry add some few tablespoon of cold milk to form a nice dough.

Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Spray or brush the muffin pan with oil.

Divide the dough into 12 equal part and roll out each part to have the muffin pan covered at the base and the top. For this I used a 4 1/4 inch round for the bottom and 2 3/4 inch round for the top as per my muffin pan.

Fill each with the pork filling.

Cover  each pie with the 2 3/4 inch crust and give them all a yolk wash on top.

Bake in the oven at 350F for 18-20 minutes till all have a nice golden brown crust.

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Visit us at www.goanimports.com for Goan and Indian Spices, Dals & Pickles only in the US.


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Thai Curry Glazed Green Beans

Wishing all my dear fellow bloggers and readers in advance a Very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Years 2016. I know the blogging world is full of baked sweet goods so I wanted to share something different. Sharing one of the recipe I will be having on my dinner table for Christmas. This is a very easy and quick recipe. I made these beans for the first time about 5 weeks back as I had bought more than I needed thai curry paste and pad thai sauce.  Since then, I have made it a couple of times till I got the recipe to my liking. This year I decided to host a Christmas Lunch and as most of my friends are vegetarians my husband wanted me to included this dish. My lunch is going to be a mix of different cuisines just like a typical Goan.

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I wanted my beans to have a  subtle taste of lemon grass, some spice and the underlying flavor and sourness of fish sauce. You can replace the fish sauce with soy if you do not like it. You can use the glazed green beans to make a Pad Thai inspired rice noodles, Vietnamese fresh spring rolls – which does not need a dipping sauce, or enjoy with plain rice.

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Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of tender green beans

Trio of bell-peppers julienne (1 each – red,  yellow, orange)

1 medium onion julienne

1.5-2tbsp thai red/green curry paste

1 tbsp of fish sauce/ soy sauce

4-5 tbsp of pad thai sauce

1/3 crushed unsalted roasted peanuts

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Directions:

Cut the green beans into halves and microwave in a glass bowl as per instructions to cook them tender about 6-8 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

In a hot wok add the onions till it becomes translucent.

Next add and saute the bell-peppers for couple of minutes.

Add the thai curry paste and saute for 1-2 minutes till it is fragrant.

Next add the green beans, pad thai sauce, fish/soy sauce and saute till all mixes well and the beans are coated.

Garnish with crushed roasted peanuts and serve with rice, noodles or make some Vietnamese fresh spring rolls.

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thai-curry-glazed-green-beans-vietnamese-fresh-spring-roll-stuffing-recipe

Variations:

1 cup of cubed tofu

1/3 cup small dried roasted shrimps

1 cup of cooked chicken

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Smoked Paprika Grilled Chicken

The benefit of running my blog motivates me to experiment in my kitchen and create recipes that sometimes are a hit and some a miss. This recipe is what I put together when I was trying to make the Mc Donald’s Southwestern Chicken salad and wanted to create the same smoky grilled chicken they serve with their salad.

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Since then I have used the smoked paprika grilled chicken in salads, tostada’s, quesadillas, lettuce wraps with chipotle dressing and  yesterday I made a chicken sandwich for lunch with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and a creamy cilantro dressing for my husband. Sharing with you this recipe that is a favorite in my home. I love to marinate the meat overnight and make freezer bags of the marinated chicken for days I want a lighter meal.

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Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

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1.5- 2 lbs of chicken breast fillet thinly

1 tbsp of smoked paprika

3/4 tsp of cumin powder

1/2 tsp of onion powder

1 tbsp of garlic powder

2-3 tsp of sriracha sauce based on your spice level

1.5 tsp of lemon/lime juice

salt to taste

Directions:

Wash the meat and dry with paper towel.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and let the meat marinate at-least for 30 minutes. I prefer overnight.

Grill or shallow fry the chicken in a pan for 3-4 minutes on each side till well browned.

Let it rest for a couple of minutes and it is ready to eat.

Visit us at www.goanimports.com for all your Indian, Goan Spices, Dals and Pickles. Only in US!

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Baked Sev Strips – Gluten Free

Sharing with you the baked version of a popular Indian savory snack recipe that I enjoyed a lot in my college days specially while studying for exams. I was very surprised how close it tasted to the fried version. Sev is a popular Indian snack food consisting of small pieces of crunchy noodles made from chickpea flour paste, which is seasoned with turmeric, cayenne, and ajwain before being deep-fried in oil. These noodles vary in thickness. It is vegan and gluten-free.

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You can use this recipe to either fry the strip or use the sev maker to fry or bake the sev. There are variations to this recipe depending on each state in India. I am sharing with you the one that is popular in Goa.

On a side note I do apologize for being slack with my blog the reason being I fell very sick the day after Christmas and am still recovering and to add to it all my husband fell sick last week that ended in him being in the hospital and having various test done to see the cause of his sickness. The next 3 weeks are going to be hectic with doctor’s appointments and I want to focus on him being well. I will be there to support your blog post but will take a break from posting my self. I truly appreciate all your support. Thank you all so much :-)

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baked-sev-healthy-gluten-free-vegan-snack-ingredients

Serving Size ; 4

Ingredients:

1 cup of besan/garbanzo beans flour 

2 tbsp of oil

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1/8 tsp of Asafoetida

1/4 tsp of red chili powder

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of ajwain/ Carom seed powder

1/4 cup water

salt to taste

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baked-sev-healthy-gluten-free-vegan-snack-dough-maker

Directions:

Heat oven to 355F or 180C or heat oil for deep-frying.

Mix all the dry ingredients together well. Knead the flour to a nice dough using little water at a time. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

If you have the sev maker, press the dough through the sev maker  to form thin noodles strips and lay it on parchment paper to bake or deep fry the sev.

If you do not have a sev maker then place the ball of dough in-between to parchment papers, roll the dough to a very thin layer. I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough into long strips. You can cut it in cracker shapes as well.

Bake for 13-15 minutes till crisp. Let cool completely and enjoy it as a snack or mix it with roasted nut for extra flavor.

Store in an airtight container for a couple of days.

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Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Here is another vegetarian recipe for lent. It is gluten-free and a one pan meal. I learnt this recipe from a vegetarian friend. My husband and kids love it. I am waiting for Easter so I can try it with chicken. I have a recipe for shredded chicken with chipotle peppers, salsa and a few more ingredients that I use to make tostadas.

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vegetarian-enchilada-casserole-chicken-beef-recipe

You will need a 9×13 baking dish. For the vegetables you can use corn, black beans, bell-peppers, mushrooms or cooked pinto beans (Mexican frijoles).  I used Sprouts enchilada sauce but I prefer the Trader Joe’s. It has a nice kick and flavor.

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vegetarian-enchilada-casserole-cheese-authentic-recipe

Serving Size : 6-8

Ingredients:

18 corn tortillas

2 can black beans drained

2 fresh corn steam in the microwaves for 6 minutes take the kernel of the cob

1 medium onion diced

4 cloves garlic diced

1/2 cup chunky salsa

3 cups of fresh grated cheese ( I used medium cheddar)

1.5- 2 bottles of enchilada sauce (12oz/bottle)

9×13 baking dish

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vegetarian-enchilada-casserole-ingredients-recipe

Directions:

Saute the onions till translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few seconds. Next add the corn and black beans, salsa and saute well. Cook for 5-7 minutes covered on medium heat. Let cool.

Next warm the tortillas quickly on a pan to make them pliable.

Set oven to 350F

Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce at the bottom. If your enchilada sauce does not have a great flavor mix it with some salsa.

Stuff each tortilla with the corn and black bean mixture. Line them with the seams side down. Pour enchiladas sauce on top of them sprinkle with cheese and make the second layer the same way.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes then take of the foil and bake another 5 minutes.

If you like it more moist then pour some more enchilada sauce on top before serving. Enjoy with a side of guacamole and fried plantains like we did.

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vegetarian-enchilada-casserole-corn-tortillas-easy-recipe

 


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