The Best Things We Cooked This Year

Here are the recipes at Goya that you, our readers, returned to again and again over the last year. From Goan Anglo-Indian roast beef, to Bengali fish head pulao and tutti-frutti biscotti, these recipes span the range from heirloom dishes to playful and modern comfort foods.

1. Pressure Cooker Roast Beef for Christmas

Christmas is about the roast. A big chunk of tender beef is trimmed, washed and poked until it is ready to go into the pot. Watching my grandmother heave over it, grinning at the large chunks of meat in her hand, was a big part of Christmas in our home. Marella Gilbert share the recipe for this Goan-Anglo Indian Christmas eve special, that is made in the pressure cooker. Get the recipe.

2. Retrogrape Recipes: Tutti Frutti Biscotti

A favourite from Padmavathy Bindingnavale’s column Retrogrape, where she goes a step back to revive foods that delight, this recipe breathes new life into that ubiquitous Indian baking ingredient - tutti frutti, into a double features that’s chewy, crunchy, toasty, chocolate-y. Get the recipe.

3. Pahile, Deep-Fried Bread From the Mahar Community that is on the Verge of Disappearing

Mahar kitchens hold centuries of heirloom recipes that have been passed down through oral instruction and simple observation, many at risk of fading away with time. Pahile, ranya roti’s deep-fried relative, is labour-intensive and requires immense skill. Nishita Chandra share a recipe for golden, deep fried bread from the Mahars of Nagpur. Get the recipe.

4. Sindhi Malai Koki is the Poster Child of Winter Comfort Food

Koki is just a Sindhi name for a roti made with plenty of fat rubbed into flour, much like shortcrust pastry. There are those that make it simply with salt, pepper and ghee, and there are those that infuse it heavily with coarsely chopped onions, green chillies, maybe dried pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander. For buttery crust and tender body, Amrita Amesur recommends using a combination of ghee and freshly-skimmed, rich buffalo milk malai. Get the recipe.

5 Bangdyache Amshe Tikshe: A Beloved Mackerel Curry from North Karnataka

Despite not eating fish, over the years, the aroma of the gravy has won me over. A recipe made with quintessential Chritrapur Saraswat dish as it uses most of the key ingredients of our food — teppal, red chillies, tamarind, coconut and fish. Get the recipe.

6. Muri Ghonto, Why Bengalis Love Fish Head Pulao

Muri-ghonto, fish head cooked with rice, potato and whole spices, is beloved across Bengal, Orissa and Assam. Satarupa Bhattacharya’s particular recipe is rooted in East Bengal and the Partition of India. Get the recipe.

Banner image credit: Aysha Tanya

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