Garam Masala Tuesdays: Goan Style Fish

Goa, a state located in the West of India, is famous for its beaches, its relaxed culture and of course its cuisine. The long period of Portuguese rule, besides that of the Muslim and Hindu kingdoms has led to a different and unique style of food with a combination of spicy flavors in this beloved vacation state.

The Portuguese dominated Goa for centuries coming in the 1500s and leaving in 1961. Thus, the Goan culture heavily reflects the Portuguese influence. The Portuguese culture is known for their happy go lucky nature, love for drinks, late night parties and gala dinner. And that’s how Goa is perceived all over India and loved by all.

The taste of Goan food involves tangy, spicy and other lip-smacking delicacies. Most Goans, unlike the rest of India, eat all kinds of meat- including beef, pork and all types of seafood, besides the regular chicken. Prawn Balchao, Pork Vindaloo and Chicken Xacuti- yup they are all goan dishes.

One of Goa’s staple dishes is fish curry and rice, something I will be sharing today.

I was watching an Indian food channel when I came across this recipe. The original recipe uses lobster as the choice of meat and I am sure the lobster complements this dish perfectly. But all I had on hand was halibut and thought the flavors in the recipe would be a perfect way to eat the fish steak I had.

If you have lobster, go ahead use it and follow the same instructions as given. Except for searing the lobster before putting it in the curry. If you use lobster meat, just marinate it and then when the curry is ready add to the dish. But if all you have is halibut, don’t worry, it works fine- in fact absolutely perfect.

The dish is very spicy, but that’s how most goan dishes go. Even if you don’t feel like making the curry (though I can’t guess why because all of it comes together quickly), just grilling the fish in the marinade is a great meal in itself, especially if you are a looking for an Indian, spicy flavor in your fish.

The original recipe calls for a feni flambe. Feni is a spirit made from either coconut or the juice of the cashew apple, made in Goa. It tastes bitter as hell (at least that’s what I remember of it), but that’s what the tamarind concentrate is supposed to take care of- the bitterness of the Feni. But I didn’t have access to Feni, still I added the tamarind concentrate since I think it cuts a little into the spiciness of the dish, which for me was very much welcomed.

The dish fit perfectly with my gluten free diet that I plan to be on for this month. Gluten free and sugar free. It’s not that I am allergic to gluten (at least not something I am aware of), but it’s a way to challenge myself and go a little healthier in things I eat. And that’s why this month I will be (or at least try to be) gluten free and sugar free. And to challenge myself even more I plan to go raw for a week in between.

You can follow my gluten free month on Facebook. I still haven’t gotten the hang of twitter, even though I am on it. I have never been one of those witty people who come up with smart one liners. Probably that is why twitter is still something I just can’t get used to. So, if you want to know about how my month of gluten free, sugar free and one week of raw diet is going on, check my Facebook page for updates (and do pass in a motivating word, because with my love for all things unhealthy I sure would need it!).