Lush green surroundings and the warmth of the sun hits me straight away; with the smell of the sea lingering not so far away I know I’m in my favourite beachy city of them all – Goa. And the first thing on my mind is getting to my cottage; to settle in followed by a home cooked meal by Mrs. D’souza who runs the host of cottages not far from Panaji the capital of Goa. We get there early evening. The cottage overlooks Miramar beach and a picturesque view of the sun setting with the city illuminating. Too tired to head out anyways; Mrs. D’souza insists that she is going to cook us a meal this evening. ‘Something simple, but I hope you people like our local Goan offering’ she says. I wasn’t going to refuse a home cooked meal and one cooked by a lady who clearly knows her craft ( She also is known in the city to send out fresh Goan food tiffins for orders; and has been doing so for the last 11yrs).
Onto dinner plans and walking through the long corridors a waft of all the home cooking is very hard to miss. I find myself speeding up my pace with a camera in hand yearning to see what’s on the menu and also try and catch a glimpse of the first hand organised chaos in a Goan kitchen. A gorgeous banquet is laid out across the rustic colonial table. Coconut fish curry, Pork Vindaloo, Fried masala pomfret, Dal, steamed rice, and also a variety of local homemade pickles including my favourite prawn balchao. Also fresh salad with a squeeze of lime & salt. If this is what she meant by a simple meal I’ll have this every day thank you very much!
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