13 Goan vegetarian dishes you should know about (2024)

On a Sunday afternoon, I’m on the island of Chorao about to eat a lavish Goan meal.On a freshly washed banana leaf, in front of me, lie a range of Goan dishes that highlight fresh and seasonal produce:khatkhatem, ambadyachem sasav,breadfruit phodi, chidki midki bhaji, dal, and mooga gathi.It’s adelicious and filling meal.And, it is all vegetarian.

The meal is part of an all-dayexperienceconducted by tour group Soul Travelling. For me, it’s a first because everything I eat that day, from breakfast to evening snacks, is vegetarian.

Monsoon vegetables bounty in Goa. (Photo: Joanna Lobo)

One of the biggest misconceptions about Goan food is that itfavours meat- and fish-eaters. As stereotypes go, it is untrue.There’s a lot to experience in Goan vegetarian food, which banks on an abundance of greens, especially in the monsoon.It is rare to find some of these dishes in restaurants —Kokum Curry(in Candolim, and Panaji)does have a few options. For others seeing vegetarian nosh, there arehome chefs like Shubhra Shankwalker ofAai’swho make it on order; or bloggers likeNeelam Dutta,who has been painstakingly documenting Goan fareon her blog,Ranchikood — Goan Kitchen.

There is a bounty available in Goa’s gardens, fields, forests, plateaus andhillsides, which find their way into delicious dishes. Here are some popular and little-known options:

Mooga gathi

It’s a dish thatpossibly gets its namefrom howsprouted moongresembles agathi (knot).Acoconut curry with tamarind, spices,chillies and tempered with curry leaves. It has no garlic or onion.There arevariations of the dish which include pumpkin, cucumber, and suran. Adry version of the dish calledaleganthiismade with ginger and colocasia leaves (tied in knots).

Mooga gathi. (Photo: Shubhra Shankwalker)

Khatkhatem

Easily one of the most identifiable vegetarian dishes, this mixed vegetable stewistypically eaten atGanesh Chaturthi. It is a dishthat showcasesGoa’s monsoonvegetablebounty, includingraw banana,pumpkin,raw jackfruit, yam,radish, drumsticks, corn, green beans, turnip, yam, sweet potatoes and more. The vegetables are cooked with some coconut, tamarind, tur andmoong dal.

Sushel/Chakho

It’s a dry dish that stars tender baby jackfruit.The fruit is cleaned, boiled and crushedso it crumbles and ismixed with a basic masala of coconut, jaggery,andgreen chillieswith amustardtempering.

Sakharbhaat

Sakharbhat. (Photo: Shubhra Shankwalker)

Thissweet riceis a delicious treat, and sometimes formspart ofawedding menu.Rice is cooked in ghee,flavouredwith cloves, saffron (some use orange food colouring in place of saffron), andasugarsyrup, with raisins and cashewnuts to enhance the sweetness.

Vodyo/vade

Vodyo are part of the Goan purumenth, the practice of stocking upon food insummerto consume inthe upcoming monsoon. These vodyoare dumplings made withash gourdorwinter melon, urad dal and some spices. This mixture is spread on a plate or plastic, and dried till crisp.Later, these vodyoare used inaross—a simple gravy made without onions and garlic;added to other vegetable preparations;fried and eaten;or mixed intokismur.

Kismur

Though kismoor in Goa is typicallyassociated with dried shrimp, commonly served as part of a thali, there are many vegetarian versions ofthis dry,salad-like preparation.Goan pappad, karathe (bitter gourd), vaal (beans), jackfruit stems, raw bananas, cluster beans,or eveneggsare mixed with grated coconut,chilli powder, onion, tamarind, and turmeric.

Saar

Saar(it means essence)is likearasam.The most common oneistamatache saar, made withtomatoes,coconut milk, mustard, jaggery,andcurry leaves.But, in the olden days (and even today), the leftover water or‘stock’ fromboilingpulses and dals was used as a base for saar. It is morecommonlymade withIt is eaten duringshivrak (pure vegetariandays)and cooked for religious ceremonies(not the tomato version).

Uddamethi

It’s a dish that gets its name from the two main ingredients in it: urad dal, andmethi. The flavours of the two combined with coconut, chillies, jaggery, hing, tamarind and black peppermake for a uniqueand thickcurry.Commonly made with bangda (mackerel), the vegetarian versions are cooked withraw mango or hog plum.

Ambadyachemkaram

Ambadyachem karam. (Photo: Shubhra Shankwalker)

Amabade or hog plum stars in thisDiwali favourite.The semi-dry dish, almost a chutney,hasambadecooked in thick curry of coconut,jaggery,chilli powderand the very importantshankarshaaphing( which many believe gives the dish a defining flavour).

Ghotache/AmbadyacheSasav

Sasav. (Photo: Natasha Desai Lavande)

Sasav are mustard seeds in Konkani and they are the star of this dish.Made with ghota (sucking mangoes)or ambade,it has sweet and sour notes and a thickness that comes from the mango pulp and generous amounts of coconut.Jaggery is sometimes used to add sweetness.Traditionally, this dish is made freshby mixing all the ingredients todayand not cooking it.

Caldinho/caldin

Coming from the Portuguese word for soup, caldinho is a slightly sweet,coconut milk curry made with vegetables like bottle gourd, tendlim, cauliflower or dudhi. It is also made with prawns.

Paanch pale bhaaji

AnotherChaturthi special,this dishis amix of five leafy vegetables,sourced from kitchen gardens or farms. These includetambdi bhaji (red amaranth), val chi bhaji (Malabar spinach), moringa leaves, alu (colocasia leaves), hog plum leaves, bottle gourd leaves,andmore.

Tavsalli

It is one of the nicest ways to consume cucumbers. The vegetable is grated, mixed with rava, coconut, jaggery, some cardamom, and then steamed to form a mildly sweet,moist cake. It is best made with local cucumbers, believed to be sweeter and tastierthan the others.