Goa!

Ah Goa! The beach, the view, the sunset, the parties, and most of all, the FOOD! Goa is a hotpot for different cuisines what with the place having so many foreign tourists. But what people usually miss out on is true Goan cuisine. It has the fish, the spicy coconut curry and the portuguese influence of vinegar. There is also a selection of vegetarian dishes in Goa which is not as explored. The vegetarian dishes are influenced by the Konkan and Maharastrian tastes. One thing is for sure, you need to have an open, adventurous palate and make peace with coconut. It's taste is not strong but it adds the texture and the character to Goan dishes.

There are more dishes that define Goa's cuisine, but the dishes mentioned below is a good start of a culinary tour of the state.

The quintessential fish curry rice meal is what you must have in Goa. Though most of the restaurants and shacks serve this meal, very few places make it well. Souza-Lobo in Calangute is a popular restaurant which serves authentic Goan dishes. What I love about Souza-Lobo is their fish curry and the masala rava fish/prawn fry. Though the tastes haven't been very consistent, they are close to the real deal. Above is my meal of squid ambatik, which is a vinegar based curry with the masala rava prawns - so good! Also worth mentioning are their crab/pomfret curry and fish reichado.

This fish thali is from Anand Bar and Restaurant in Siolim. I highly recommend eating here. The fish curry tastes exactly like homemade and the fish fry is fresh and crispy. The best fish curry rice meal I've had in Goa so far. This place is more popular with the locals than visitors so good food guaranteed! Also try their fish fry, preferable lady fish or kingfish. The prawn masala rava fry is also equally good. 

Florentine's in Saligao another local favourite for fish curry rice meal. They also make a mean chicken cafreal! The spicy green chilli sauce marinated chicken is soft and juicy. If you like a crispy version, ask for their rava fried chicken. We ended our meal with the caramel custard which was cold and creamy - best way of ending a meal. The caramel added on top is burnt just right and complements the vanilla custard well. 

This delectable looking strawberry tart is the creation of Britto's in Baga. In addition to their usual fare, they make some of the best desserts in Goa that I have tasted. Britto's is big on pies both savoury and sweet. All their dessert pies are out of this world. I was first introduced to their tarts last summer when I tried their mango tart. The combination of creamy mango custard with fresh, sweet pieces of mango is out of this world. Going seasonal, Britto's whips up a strawberry tart when mango isn't available, which is as fresh and juicy as the mango tart. They also add a chocolate dimension to the tart which works oh so well with the strawberries. These desserts are so popular, they are served in various other restaurants like Souza-Lobo.

Britto's also serves some delectable fried chicken and butter garlic prawns. They have never disappointed me with their food.

After any of the meals above, all you will want to do is sit by the beach and watch the sun. Or maybe take a nap on the flat beds on the beach and then watch the sun. 

Meet the Goan pav. Slightly harder crust than the Mumbai pav but tastes as good as ever. A fresh pav has a chewy crust with soft insides. This is my go-to bread in Goa  which works so well with the different bhajis available for breakfast.

At Tatu's in Madgaon, you can have the pav with as many as 5 different bhajis. The sukha bhaji is basically a potato-turmeric preparation similar to the masala in masala dosa. The gravies that are served are the alsande bhaji made of a rajma-kind bean, white peas bhaji, mushroom bhaji and a tomato bhajji. Each of these bhajis have garam masala added and the main ingredient provides the taste of the bhaji. If the pav is not your thing, you can also have these with some puris.

Buns is my favourite snack of all time! This is a snack which is a heavy Konkan influenced snack and is made with banana and curd. It might sound weird, but these just enhance the sweet flavour of the bun and provide it with the fluffy texture. Even if you do not like bananas, I highly recommend you try this as it's more of a sweet puri than a banana snack.

Photo credit: Vasu

Another local dish worth trying is the Goan sausage chilly fry. Goan sausage is an Indian version of the chorizo. It's rustic, spicy and loved by all who have tried it. The sausages are usually pan-fried in its own fat with potatoes and onions and eaten with pav or sannas, a form of fermented rice cakes. At home, you can also make pulao with it.

In all Goa is an a great place for food and sun and sand! They welcome all as long as you don't spoil the beauty of the place and the culture. It's also one of the most happening party places in India. Visit Goa any time of the year and you won't be disappointed!