Speak of Goa and among the first things that come to our minds are the amazing beaches, the deep blue seawater, and of course, its delicious cuisines. Given the fact that I have visited this paradise multiple times, I got accustomed to some of its amazing dishes. One of my personal favorites is the Chicken Cafreal Recipe. Sounds a little unique, isn’t it? Well, that’s because it doesn’t have its original roots in India. I was surprised to know that Chicken Cafreal’s origin is linked to colonial culture. It is a Portuguese-influenced dish that is very much famous in Goan culture.
Time for making Chicken Cafreal:
In fact, no festive season is complete in Goa without Cafreal gravy on the menu. Goan people love to serve it along with other popular varieties like vindaloo, xacuti, and sorpotel. Well, times are tough, and I couldn’t make it to Goa for a long time. So, I decided to try this recipe at home. And, who really needs an occasion to indulge in Chicken Cafreal’s aromatic essence! I have started preparing it frequently, mostly for my Sunday meals. Well, weekend meals are meant to be special, isn’t it?
The essence of Cafreal Masala:
With items like biryanis, pulao, and rich curries mostly served on Sundays, I decided to bring the culture of Chicken Cafreal Goa home. Now, let’s first talk about the amazing Cafreal Masala that is responsible for giving it a unique taste. In this dish, I marinate the chicken with a uber- flavourful green spice paste. It is also popularly known as the Cafreal masala. The ingredients that go into this spice paste are also very minimal and easy to grab from the nearby market.
How to make Cafreal Goan Style:
Talking about the taste, the Chicken Cafreal recipe is a rustic, fiery, tangy, and utterly aromatic one that is delicious to your taste buds. For me, adjectives just fall short to describe this amazing dish. Now, time for sharing some secrets. I got to know from one of my trips that some people add a splash of rum to the chicken when it’s almost done. That gives a festive, nice finish to the dish. Well, I tried it myself a couple of times, and trust me, I felt like I made the best Goan Chicken Cafreal recipe till date!
What to eat with Chicken Cafreal:
Now, coming to the serving part, you can serve it with some salad and potato wedges. That surely makes for a wholesome meal on weekends, isn’t it? Another small tip from my side – your best bet to make Goan Cafreal curry are chicken leg pieces. They are not only tender but also succulent. Well, you may also use breast pieces for this recipe. The one thing that I always keep in mind is to coat the chicken pieces properly so that they are filled with flavourful and aromatic deliciousness once cooked. I recommend marinating the chicken overnight to get this robust taste in the curry the next day. I like both the semi-dry and curried versions of this dish. The best part about this age-old recipe is that it never fails to delight my taste buds.
Now, let jump to the recipe part but you might also like to try Chicken Shami Kebab recipe from the blog which is super simple and amazingly delicious. Follow me on @Instagram for more delicious food updates 🙂
Chicken Cafreal
Ingredients
- 1 cup coriander leaves with their stalk
- 5-6 green chillies destalked
- 1/2 inch stick cinnamon
- tbsp ½black peppercorns
- tsp ¼cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1- inch ginger root
- 8-10 cloves of garlic
- 500 gms Chicken
- 1 lemon lemon
- 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
- Salt as required
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Grind coriander leaves, ginger, garlic cumin seeds, black pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, green chilies in a mixer. Grind it into a fine paste. –
- Add salt and turmeric powder, lemon juice to the chicken along with the green spice mix. - Mix it well and make sure you coat the chicken well with the spice mix.
- Marinate the chicken for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan and place the chicken pieces.
- Fry the chicken in batches.
- Use the spice mix water and add it to the chicken.
- Cover the pan and cook it for 15 minutes. - In another pan, heat oil so as to cook the sliced potatoes. - Add salt to the potatoes and cook them well.
- Also, keep turning the chicken pieces so as to cook it from all sides. -
- Serve this authentic Chicken Cafreal hot with crispy potato wedges. Enjoy 🙂