Poee / Poi

This is a popular Goan flat bread eaten with curries or vegetable. It’s delicious. 

Ingredients 

2 cups Wheat flour 

2 cups All Purpose Flour (Optional) 

Can replace with whole wheat flour 

2 tsp Instant Yeast

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Sugar

1/4 cup or as required Wheat bran

Luke warm water as required 

1 tbsp Oil

Method 

Take a bowl, add both the flours, sugar, yeast and add little water at a time, and start to knead the dough. Take 1/2 tbsp oil and salt, add the ingredients to the dough and continue to knead the dough until the dough is soft and smooth. Apply the remaining oil, cover the dough and keep the dough to rise double in size. Once done take the dough and knead the dough once more for few seconds. Divide the dough into 10 portions. Keep the rolled ball aside covered for 10 minutes. Remove the center rack of oven and place it on the lowest rack. Preheat the oven at 250 degrees celsius. Take a portion of the dough, take the wheat bran on a plate,  apply the wheat bran on the dough, and either roll the dough out or pressure the dough with the help of your hand, make a thick disc about 5 inches. Repeat the process with other portions. Place the rolled dough on the baking tray. Cover and keep the disc aside for 45 minutes. Now bake the poi on the lower rack of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 250 degrees celsius, depending upon your oven temperature.  The poi will fluff up and turn brown in colour. Remove the poi from the baking tray and keep it on the cooling rack to cool it down further. Enjoy the poi with any kind of curries.. 

 

Goan Fish Cutlet

These fish cutlets are delicious and can be served with evening tea as snacks or appetiser. These fish cutlets takes me back to Bandra where I had lived for many years. I had few good friends who stayed near my building. One of the friend had a Maharastrian cook. Very frequently, we use to visit my friend’s place for the afternoon adda and cha. This was one the dish that was commonly made and served with tea at my friend’s place, or some time we use to get these cutlets from a local Goan Food Outlet near Bandra Market. 

Now only memories remains of our good old days. 

Ingredients 

2 big Mackerels washed, cleaned and boiled with salt and turmeric. Deboned and shredded

1 Medium size Onion chopped finely 

4 to 5 Garlic Cloves chopped 

2 to 3 Green Chillies Chopped

1 small piece of Ginger chopped 

1 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Vinegar or Juice of 1/2 Lime 

1 tsp Goan Garam Masala powder 

1 Egg

2 Bread pieces soaked in water and squeezed 

1/2 cup Fine Semolina 

1/2 cup Oil for Shallow Fry

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add the shredded fish, Onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves, bread, salt, vinegar or lime juice and garam masala powder. Mix all the ingredients together. Add the egg and mix the ingredients together until it binds well. Take the semolina in a plate. Take a lemon size ball and flatten it. Coat the semolina on all the sides of the  cutlets. Take oil in a pan. Let the oil heat. Fry the cutlets on low medium heat until golden brown on both the sides. Remove the fish cutlets on a paper towel. Serve the hot fish cutlets with tomato sauce. 

Fish Caldino / Caldin ( Mild Fish Curry )

It's a Goan dish. It's a mild yellowish colour curry which is served as a side dish. This curry can be made with any vegetables or fresh fish. Surmai, pomfret or prawns are used to make this curry.  The curry though mild, is quite flavorful.

This can be served with hot rice or pav.

To make the Caldin Juice

Ingredients

1 fresh Coconut grated

4 Garlic cloves

2 Cloves

1 small piece of Cinnamon

10 to 15 Black Pepper Corn

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Tamarind Paste

2 cups of warm Water

Method

Blend all the above ingredients together in a blender along with the warm water.  Strain this through a strainer to get a thick Caldin juice. Add 1 cup of water to the residue and strain out a thin juice. Keep it aside.

For the Curry

Ingredients

3 medium Pomfret sliced and cleaned 

1 medium size Onion chopped 

1 medium size Tomato chopped 

1 tsp Ginger minced 

2 Green Chillies slit

1/4 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil. Let it heat. Add the chopped onions, sauté it till translucent. Add the chopped tomato, ginger and green chillies. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the thin juice and let it simmer. Apply little salt on the fish. Add the fish into the wok. Let it simmer for a minute. Turn the fish. Add the thick juice and continue to simmer. Add the salt and sugar. Let it simmer till the fish is cooked. Serve hot with steamed rice or with pav.