MISCELLANEOUS, Goa

Generally known as Holi, the month of Phalgun signifies the onset of what in Goa is known as Shigmo. Celebrated mostly by the masses in the close religious association of religious rites, the festival of Shigmo is accompanied by the fanfare of drum beats and the epic enactions of Mythology. Colour in vivid vibrancy hues the festivities that bedeck every area that is celebrating Shigmo.

"Gulal" and "Neel" are abundantly used to colour the very atmosphere in celebration of what is heralding the onset of the most colourful season, spring.

Today, the Shigmotsav has highlighted its festivities with the performance of troupes in the form of parades and cultural dances. The streets in the townships, at dusk resound with the music of the Dholl, the drums and conches as huge effigies of wondrous color and light effects parade their way to prize winning combinations.

Shigmo is a social festival with a religious core. It is the Goan counterpart of the Holi in the rest of India. Puja is performed of the stems of the teflam fruits or betel nut, struck on the ground before the temple and a little grass put at their feet is then burnt. There are a number of dances which burst forth on this occasion in the spirit of plenty that marks the harvesting season.
Next time when you are in Goa, in Feb.. don't forget to join the parade and dance your way along..it's nice...

This is a recipe from a friend in Goa that I brought back home with me. It's been tried and tested - I've cooked it quite a few times and it's always fantastic! I never thought that I'd be able to cook a curry to "Indian restaurant standards" in my kitchen, but this really does taste 100% genuinely Indian (like a masala)! It's also really low in fat & calories as there is no added cream, etc.
You will need:
> 1 large non-stick pan
> 600g medium-sized fresh or frozen prawns (also works with chicken)
> 2 medium onions
> 4 medium tomatoes
> 2 cinnamon sticks (or half tsp cinnamon powder)
> 4 cardamom pods (optional; I don't like cardamon)
> 4 cloves
> 2 green chillies (or half tsp chilli powder)
> 2 tablesp. ginger and garlic paste
> some salt
> half tsp turmeric powder
> 1 tsp red chilli powder
> 1 tsp coriander powder
> 1 Tablesp. cumin powder
> 1 Tablesp. tomato paste
> 2 cups (500ml) hot water
> half tsp garam masala powder
> 1/2 bunch of fresh, chopped coriander leaves.

Let's get cooking!
1. Heat your oil to medium heat & start frying 2 sticks of cinnamon, 4 cardamom pods and 4 cloves with the chopped onions & green chillies and fry for about 5 min. or until onions are a light golden brown.
2. Now add the ginger & garlic paste, stir for a few minutes.
3. Now add the spices: turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder & garam masala and fry for 5 min over low heat, stirring frequently.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes followed by 1 tablesp. of cumin powder. Stir. Add 1 tablesp. of tomato paste & a cup of water - keep stirring until the water is absorbed. Turn the heat down, put the lid on and leave to simmer for 10-15 min, or until oil separates from the dish & rises to the top.
5. Turn the heat back up & add the prawns. Add 2 generous pinches of salt.
6. Add approx. 100ml of warm water & stir. Then put lid on and bring the heat down. Leave for about 10 min. or until prawns are cooked - check occasionally.
7. Finally, check whether your seasoning is good & last but not least stir in the chopped, fresh coriander.
--> Serve either with rice or with some warm, fresh Naan bread or Parathas.
*Khana Majese Khao!* (Enjoy your meal!)

When I first tasted Naan bread many years ago, at a small backstreet Indian restaurant in Hong Kong, I was instantly hooked. It's hot, "squidgy" and thick - perfect to soaking up the delicious curry sauces - and often providing some temporary relief if your tongue is burning from a spicy meal!
Centuries ago the Moguls brought Naan bread to India (the Moguls came from Persia; the Persian word for bread is naan). Naan bread isn't exclusively eaten on the subcontinent: it is also part of the local diet in countries such as Afghanistan.

Typically there are 3 types of Naan bread: Plain, with butter or my favourite: butter & garlic! The ingredients for my recipe aren't 100% authentic - but rather have been adjusted to include ingredients that are widely available in modern supermarkets.

You will need:
(makes approx. 9 pieces)
> 450 g plain flour.
> 1/2 teaspoon salt.
> 1 teaspoon baking powder.
> 2 teaspoons active dry yeast.
> 2 teaspoons sugar.
> 150ml milk, hand-hot.
> 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil.
> 150 ml natural yoghurt, lightly beaten.
> 1 egg, lightly beaten.
> some fresh, chopped coriander.

Let's get baking!
1. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a bowl and pour in the hand-hot milk, oil, yoghurt and the beaten egg and mix it all together to form a ball of dough.
2. Place the dough on to a clean surface and knead it for 10min or more, until it is smooth and "satin-like".
3. Pour about 1/4 tsp oil into a large bowl and roll the ball of dough in it.
4. Cover the bowl with a piece of cling film and set aside in a warm place for the yeast to do its job: this will take approx. an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Pre-heat oven to the highest temperature. Place the heaviest baking tray to heat in the oven.
6. Punch down the dough and knead it again and divide into 9 equal balls.
7. While working on 1 ball, keep the remaining balls covered. Flatten the ball using your hands (or rolling pin) into an oval naan, about 15cm in length and 12cm at its widest. Brush the top with melted butter (and sprinkle with grated/chopped garlic if you like).
8. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven, grease it well with butter or oil and place the naan on to it (you can cook up to 4 naans in one go).
9. Put it into the oven on the top rack for 2-3min. It should puff up and brown slightly (do keep an eye on it).
10. Once puffed up and browned on one side, flip the naan and back into the oven for another 1-2min till the top of naan goes golden brown.
11. Finished! Naan is best served hot and sprinkled with some fresh coriander.

TIP No.1: You can also bake naan in a heavy pan ontop of your stove. But I find that they "puff up" better in the oven.

TIP No.2: You can also make a big batch of naan in advance and once they've cooled, wrap them individually and freeze them for a later date.

[Blast from the past - A letter from my folks detailing what is was like living in Goa around 1950s/60s]

Papa would NEVER be seen at Quepem naka in chappals (sandals) and would admonish dada if he even made an attempt to take a walk without his shoes. There were no mixers, televisions, phones, washing machines or driers. The masalas were ground on grinding stones, clothes were hand washed daily then dried outside on long lines in the sun.

Yes – come to think of it, compared to today’s standards you would say it was a hard life. But the beauty of it is that none of us thought of it as that back then – in fact, we thought of it as a ‘fun’ life – we were healthier, thus sturdier – (today’s generation is obese with remote controls for everything under the sun).

Despite all the hard work, evening time was a time for prayer and chit-chat and we children would sit at the cross in the little grotto in front of our house – (during the month of May it could get quite noisy with all the Bombayites descending for their holidays, though very quiet for the rest of the year) – and would sing lustily and merrily away, the air filled with the sounds of our voices.

People were caring and sharing; they didn’t consider only their own nuclear (father, mother and children) families as their own, but considered all their relatives as a comprehensive joint FAMILY too – now called EXTENDED families.

These are just few of my special nostalgic memories which bring smiles, laughter and sometimes tears with them.

[Blast from the past - A letter from my folks detailing what is was like living in Goa around 1950s/60s]

Our hols were spent mostly in Nanny's (grandmoms) maternal home where we were totally spoilt by her brother / sister and extended families.

Living at Quepem (South Goa) meant extra work of raking dead leaves and weeds, to keep the coconut grove clean of the huge heavy dried palms which fell to the ground, helping nanny in filling water from the well (there were no taps nor was there electricity), walking in circles through the hot paddy kept on mats in the sun for it to dry before being sent to the flour mill, roasting the cashew seeds over a gentle flame to break the nut from the kernel, making sure our fingers didn't blister with the juice of the kernel (though we had farmers and help, nanny insisted that we too did our share of jobs), enjoying the game of catching the mangoes when they fell with the first showers of rain before the pigs got to them, going with nanny in the hot afternoon sun across the dam behind the house and to the aframent (our farms and fields) to check the cashew and mangoes in the orchard (about 2 hours of walking in the hot sun - there was no road across the dam).

She was free only in the afternoons, hence our 'hot sun' trips. We would go to the farmers houses and listening to their complaints saying each year there were no crops, drinking gallons of coconut water frm our trees, and eating mango jam to last a lifetime. The storeroom at the back of our cottage was always filled with mangoes, jackfruits, cashews, guavas, papayas, bananas, tender coconuts - all grown at home!

A glimpse into my past - a paradox of simple and also luxurious living - a charmed childhood!!

* Leander Paes, international tennis player.
* Remo Fernandes, prominent Goan pop star and Bollywood playback singer
* Lorna, Goa's nightingale
* Lata Mangeshkar, great playback singer of India. She has a world-record for the highest number of recorded songs.
* Asha Bhosle, another great playback singer.Younger sister of Lata Mangeshakar
* Mario de Miranda, famous for his cartoons
* Ivan Dias, Cardinal Prefect, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Rome (Mumbai/Goa)

We've been coming to Goa for 8 years and have made numerous friends with locals, ex pats and holidaymakers. From all my experiences I think the Goan people are the friendliest people in the world. However my wife didn't think so initially due to the cultural way ( as in othe rparts of India, and the Middle East ) that they virtually ignore your wife on first meetings. They shake hands or later hug you, ask you what you want to eat and also what SHE wants too. For a feminist as my wife is most surely, it was disconcerting for her, but we now realise that it is respect from the Goans to both of us that a stranger does not address a man's wife without 'permission' from the man. Quaint but true. Even now after years of going I am still greeted as a long lost friend and my wife with a wet cod two fingered handshake.

Most Indian people i met in Goa are not even Goan. Many have travelled from over India to be in Goa and soak up the Goan atmosphere as well.

It is actually hard to meet real Goans and they stay away from the tourist places.
You can usually meet them at chrurch events, wedding etc. Else, apart from that i doubt you will ever meet one.