If you are a person who loves satisfying the demands of your taste buds, then Goan cuisine in India will offer you immense satisfaction. Name any kind of food and you have it-be it Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mughalai, South Indian, Mexican, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese and of course our own Goan…restaurants in Goa, India, will have them ready for you. This way, you won’t be missing out on your traditional food, no matter what nationality you belong to. But once in this Indian state of Goa, it would be a good idea to relish the traditional cuisine of Goa, India. Eating out in Goa, India, can be a special experience. Goa is lined up with numerous restaurants offering Goan food or any other food that you want and these Goan restaurants are usually situated by the beach, giving you a unique recipe of the setting sun blended with delicious sea-food and thirst-quenching Feni. If you would like to experience exotic Goan delicacies, then you should be in India and especially in Goa between November and May because it is during this time that the Goan restaurants churn up their own recipe. South Goa has five star resorts to its credit but if you are looking for Goan delicacies at reasonable rates, then North Goa is undoubtedly the place to be. TREAT FOR NON-VEGETARIANS IN GOA Let us begin our culinary journey from the traditional Goan snack, Pao com Chouricos(fried spicy Goan sausages, sautéed with onions, served in a bread roll) or Iscas de Galinha(fried chicken liver). Wash the spice down with an almost bland Portuguese potato broth with diced greens, called Caldo verde. In true Portuguese-Goan tradition, many of the delicacies on the menu are various types of meat soaked in different spices for at least a day or two before being cooked with a generous dose of homemade spices. Or you could try the Galhina Piri-Piri, which are chicken pieces marinated in a mild mixture of piri-piri and Goan herbs, before being fried. As legend goes the Goa cuisine is responsible for introducing that quintessential Portuguese delicacy Chicken Cafreal(chicken marinated in a mildly spiced green coconut masala and fried) to the people world over. Another mouth-watering specialty of Goa is Pork Vindaloo(Pork cooked in a spicy, oily masala gravy). The Goa cuisine promises that if you taste their Goan pork vindaloo once, then any other preparation of pork is not going to appeal to you. Why not check out that promise? LIP SMACKING GOAN SEAFOOD Few of the oldest Goan restaurants in India offer some of the finest cuisine in Goa. You could start off with a plateful of delicious stuffed crabs. Spicy crabmeat is stuffed into the shell of the crab, sealed with a layer of dough and then baked to perfection. Or you could try the prawns stuffed Papads, which are like rolled, fried tacos with a spicy prawn filling. Once you’ve whetted your appetite, dive into a feast of Portuguese dishes like Fish Caldine(mildly spiced coconut and turmeric fish curry). Seafood Caldeirada(seafood poached in a white wine sauce served with sautéed vegetables). Apart from local spices, local brews like feni and toddy also form an integral part of the cooking process. So, once you’re ready for another round, try the Balchao de Camaro or spicy prawns cooked in a tangy shrimp and feni sauce. Then there’s the Peixe Reachado which is a seasonal fish stuffed with a spicy homemade Goan masala and fried. End your meal on a sweet note with Bolo Sans Rival(a sweet cashew nut based cake with a layer of biscuit), which is a unique blend of flavours and textures, that’s sure to have you asking for more. INTOXICATING GOAN COCKTAILS Apart from Goan food, if you are looking at exotic Goan cocktails, then they are also available in almost all the restaurants in Goa. The Catamaran, for example is a smooth blend of Vodka, Bacardi, pineapple Juice and lemonade that will go well with an Oriental meal. You could begin your oriental odyssey with Stuffed Crabs, which unlike their Goan counterparts are stuffed with Thai herbs, button mushrooms and carrot. Goenchin’s Chicken Taipei(chicken sautéed in hot green sauce) and Prawns Taipei(prawns sautéed in Szechwan sauce) are perfect accompaniments to complement your cocktail. HOT SPICY GOAN SOUP If you’re a soup lover, try the Goenchin Special Soup. The soup is a thick broth with shredded chicken, prawns, diced vegetables and a hint of turmeric, which gives it a sharp, but pleasant zing. If you’re looking for something unusual to go with your rice and noodles, try the Fried Ladyfish with Thai Herbs(batter fried ladyfish topped with lemon grass and other herbs) and the Pe Phad Prik Waan(lamb sautéed with bell peppers, mushroom and fresh chilli). And what better way to round off your dinner than with a plateful of sinful honey flat noodles and vanilla ice cream. TREAT FOR VEGETARIANS IN GOA If all this Goan food has had you thinking that Goa in India is a land of meat-lovers, then you are sadly mistaken. The cuisine in Goa, India, has special treats stored for the vegetarians too. You will come across many restaurants in Goa, which serves unusual range of Hindu-Goan specialties. Try the Cashew Green Peas Bhaji(a tangy mixture of cashews, green peas, spices and fresh coconut), Sprouted Moong Ussal(bean sprouts with mustard seeds, green chillies and fresh coconut) and the Alsandachem Tonakh(kidney beans with a spicy Xacuti gravy). You can also try out the range of desserts, but the Tender Coconut Soufflé and Bebinca(a traditional seven-layered coconut and jaggery dessert) will simply capture your taste buds.