Think Goa and what do you visualise – beaches, white-washed churches, sausages, xacuti and bebinca? But there is more to this tiny coastal state that has plenty of surprises – one of them is the western state’s Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) cuisine, reflecting the natural bounty of Goa. Initially based near the Saraswati River, the Saraswats migrated to Goa and other parts of India.
Long before ingredients were delivered at the doorstep, menus were planned after visiting the local market based on what was fresh, seasonal, and readily available. GSB cuisine is a firm believer in this principle. To date, this traditional cuisine is true to its origins.
“Saraswat cuisine is inherently seasonal. Summer brings an abundance of mangoes, cashews, and certain varieties of fish to Goa. The monsoon brings wild vegetables, tender shoots, leafy greens and unique seasonal produce. This close connection with nature ensures that the cuisine changes rhythm every season,” explains home chef Shubhra Shankhwalker, based in Panjim, Goa. Shubhra, a professional graphic designer, learnt more about Saraswat cuisine from her mother-in-law, who shared traditional recipes with her, igniting Shubhra’s passion for the cuisine.
Distinctive flavours
Hindu Saraswat cuisine does not use vinegar as a souring agent, like Goa’s Catholic cuisine, especially for sausages and sorpotel. It is largely plant- and fish-based, more minimalistic, and focuses little on meat. Sapna Sardessai, co-founder of Kokum Curry restaurant, which has two branches, one in Panjim and one in Candolim, reveals, “Saraswat cuisine uses unique local souring agents like tamarind, kokum shells or seasonal sour berries like hog plums, bilimbis, raw mango and also pineapple.” She adds that Saraswat recipes are rich in terms of their preparation. Dedication to this cuisine has given Sardessai immense joy. She has been ardently documenting Goan heritage food, venturing into the hospitality industry in 2021 with Kokum Curry, one of Goa’s exclusive Saraswat restaurants.
One of the best compliments she received was when a 92-year-old gentleman told her that her restaurant’s preparations reminded him of his mother. “He had tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat when he held my hands and complimented me,” she recalls.
What is unique to this cuisine is the use of teflam (schezwan pepper), hing (asafoetida) and voddio (sun-dried ashgourd chips used for flavouring vegetarian dishes). Contrary to the belief that this cuisine is vegetarian, fish is a staple in GSB cooking. “For generations, Saraswat women carried forward this culinary legacy within their homes, cooking for their families with immense knowledge and skill,” adds Shankhwalker.
The freshness of ingredients adds to the flavour of this cuisine. While Shubhra grinds her own masalas and makes her own pickles, ghee, and coconut oil, Mapusa-based Anandi Walke makes traditional GSB masalas for clients in Goa and around the world. One of the most aromatic is her garam masala, which uses 18 ingredients, freshly roasted and ground. “The channa ros is a famous GSB preparation, a coconut gravy made with dried white peas, flavoured with garam masala, which can be eaten for breakfast or lunch,” says Walke, whose masalas are sourced by GSB families across continents.
The day’s menu
Breakfast in a Saraswat home often features pole, a handmade pancake. Soaked rice is ground with coconut to a thick paste. Add any chopped vegetable – cabbage, onion, dill, tender coconut, methi or buttermilk to the paste. The plain pole is usually enjoyed with tonak (a roasted masala curry). Bhakris are another staple, a flatbread made with coarsely ground flour, onion, coconut, local raw banana, cucumber, ragi, or rice, and accompanied with vegetable gravy. Idlis steamed in jackfruit leaves and a coconut milk-jaggery-cardamom dip are prepared on special occasions.
Every meal is a process in GSB cuisine. “Even for a simple meal like breakfast, the preparations are labour-intensive,” says Sardessai. “Everything is prepared the traditional way in Saraswat homes; there are no shortcuts.”
“A Goan GSB lunch plate should have rice (I source my rice locally), curry, shallow fried fish or dry vegetable (like yam, potato) and sol kadi, which is a digestive,” explains Shankhwalker. Lunch can include kismoor – dried mackerel or shrimp salad with coconut and onion, and pickles made from tarvotti chillies – the spiciest chilli in Goa.
During monsoon, as sea fish is not readily available, river fish like Muddoshyo (ladyfish), Motyalli (anchovies) or dried fish like mackerel, shrimp, Bombay Duck are cooked in curries or grilled over coal at meal times.
Dinner is generally early and light – consisting of either a vegetable or a gravy eaten with either chapati or the ubiquitous Goan poi.
Festive specials
Festive cooking is marked as much by ritual significance, emphasising purity as by exclusive preparations for each festival. The festival-specific offerings also have seasonal elements in the ingredients. During the holy month of Shravan, the GSB specialities are goad ann (a sweet rice khichdi, made with moong dal, jaggery and coconut), muttlyo (roasted semolina dough encasing a sweet coconut-jaggery mix), patollyo (sweet rice and coconut pancakes steamed in fresh turmeric leaves), and goad ros-pollé (mini dosas served dipped in sweetened coconut milk). During this season, monsoon vegetables are abundant, so preparations like allun, terré, aakur, killa, etc. that use colocasia leaves, mangrove ferns and bamboo shoots are prepared. The most famous preparation is the khathkhatem, a star preparation that traditionally uses 21 vegetables cut into chunks and cooked in a mildly spiced coconut gravy – a more elaborate version of the avial prepared in Southern states.
Gokul Ashtami is celebrated with dudhatlé/dhayatlé faw (white beaten rice cooked in milk or mixed with curd, sweetened with sugar, and crushed cardamom). At the same time, Mahashivratri is graced with kanggachi kheer (sweet potato cooked in coconut milk with jaggery and sago).
During Diwali, most households make rosaatlé faw (the red local variety of beaten rice cooked in coconut milk and jaggery and infused with the flavour of fresh turmeric leaves). While Naralipournima brings naaralibhath (sweetened rice with coconut shavings), the Gudi Padwa speciality is sukurundé (fried dumplings stuffed with sweetened channa dal).
A sweet finale
GSB desserts have a home-grown touch. “Most desserts are also prepared without using eggs or dairy products,” informs Sardessai. Some desserts from the GSB stable are tavsali – a steamed cake made with local cucumber, and steamed in turmeric or banana leaves to soak in the flavour and aroma. Variations include versions made with dill or ripe jackfruit. Besides manganné (a sweet gruel made with channa dal, sago, coconut milk and jaggery), there is soji (akheer made from broken wheat and nuts), saakharbhat (saffron-flavoured sweet rice) and kanggachyo nevryo (sweet potato crescents stuffed with coconut and jaggery and shallow fried in ghee.
Who Are Saraswat Brahmins?
Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the legendary Saraswati River that once flowed in northern India. Saraswats are considered among India’s oldest and most widespread communities, still preserving their own culture. Around 1900 BC, the river Saraswati started vanishing underground, and the people on its banks began migrating to other parts of India, thus forming sub-communities. One of their subgroups is the Goud. The Goud Saraswat Brahmins are now settled along India’s west coast, primarily in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Read more: Pathare Prabhu Cuisine: Maharashtra’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret
Also read: Chef Rukhsaar Sayeed On Kashmiri Cuisine & Dishes That Lie At Its Heart
