Dive into the rustic and vibrant flavours of Goa

CHENNAI: In Goa, people find both lively parties and peaceful beaches. Alongside its vibrant atmosphere, Goa is renowned for its distinctive cuisine, which combines Portuguese and Indian flavours with rustic spices. To transport the authentic Goan flavours to Chennai, Mynt at Vivanta IT Expressway is organising a food festival with a specially curated menu. They have brought in chef Arjun Rama Gawas from Taj Cidade de Goa for an authentic experience. Talking about the fest, executive chef Zaffar Ali from Vivanta Chennai, says, “We have curated more than 30 varieties of Goan dishes, highlighting the vibrant palates of the coastal cuisine including the xacuti masala.”

Explaining to DT Next about the ingredients that are common between Tamil Nadu and Goan cuisine, the chef explains, “The ingredients that are present in both cuisines are black pepper, cumin seeds, coconut and tamarind. With Goan vinegar, kokum that is sourced mainly from the Western Ghats and states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa, and Goan water, the delicacies in this cuisine are distinctive.”

To start, we indulged in the alluring flavours of the coastal paradise with the caldo galinha soup, a Goan-style vegetable and macaroni clear soup with chicken, which was light and refreshing.

In the starters, the semolina fried pomfret fish was crispy and incorporated spices like kokum, tamarind, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli powder. We loved the succulent chicken jeri meri, which had mild tastes of cumin, ginger, garlic, pepper and coconut milk, that elevated the overall flavour. Corn and cheese rissios were crispy outside and had soft stuffing inside. One should not miss their creamy and rich prawn coriander as well. Among the main courses, the mushroom sukha and chicken cafreal aced the list.

The Goan-style fish curry with unpolished parboiled Goan rice was good. However, the sourness in the curry was a tinch more.

The scrumptious mutton xacuti, which is perfectly cooked mutton in roasted coconut and spices, is also a must-try. The vegetable pulao was decent.

Bebinca, a traditional Goan dessert, which is a layered cake with egg yolk, sugar, coconut and clarified butter, has a balanced sweetness. A gram lentil and sago pudding called the mangane was delicious and subtle.

Immerse in the traditional flavours of Goa at the Goan food fest, which is on till April 14, at Vivanta Chennai IT Expressway.