What the Fork: All Things Spicy, Goan Choriza Is Unlike Any Other Sausage, Writes Kunal Vijaykar

Imagine the intoxicating and fiery blend of spices, the deep and vigorous almost spirited trench of ‘feni’ and vinegar, the consistency of fermentation, the masculinity of ripeness and the lusciousness of oil, full of individualism and complexities, Goa Sausage is like no other sausage ever . When served on a plate, it more closely resembles pork curry than a sausage. I just love Goa Sausage. One of my first trips to Goa, probably 35 years ago, was a late night, we were hanging out with a group of local friends at a neighborhood bar in Panjim, consuming half of the drinks menu without looking to the right because alcohol. It was so cheap. In the heat of that sultry night, sweaty, with alcohol leaking from the pores of our skin, we set out on the streets. The city was dark, deserted and sleepy, as it usually is most hours of the day. We reached a small stone bridge over the narrow St. Inez Creek, under a secluded street lamp, playing Konkani songs. Everyone was mad by now, we hadn’t had any solids all day, just liquids. Someone suggested a hot ‘poi’ (Goan bread) from a bakery behind St. Inez Church that worked all night, so we stumbled in the direction of the shrine. Two companions went looking for the bakery, while we were asked to wait near the cemetery gate behind St. Inez. The cemetery gates were open so we went inside. It was two o’clock in the morning and we weren’t sure how long this wait for the bread would be, so we sat lifelessly on a headstone, trying not to disturb the late Janeiro Braganza. rested downstairs. To be honest, Janeiro didn’t feel like it. Soon the ‘poi’ people came in little by little with individual parcels wrapped in newspaper. The poi was hot, just outside the bakery and stuffed with some masala meat. Pork to be specific. That night at the cemetery, I had my first taste of choriz pao.

Goans call Goan sausages as “choris”. In much of Europe, “chorizo” from which the Goan word “choris” comes from, is a bright red fermented and cured sausage made with coarsely chopped pork and pork fat, which is added to garlic, Cooked with smoked paprika, and salted and smoked. In Portugal, they are called “chourico” and are a natural wrap filled with pork, fat, wine, paprika, garlic, hot pepper and salt and slowly dried over smoke. Like everything else, the Portuguese adopted this sausage and made it their own by adding hot pungent spices and toddy vinegar. But unlike in Europe, Goan choriz is not like a salami, but a thickly made sausage tied with strings. Generally, there are two versions of “steal” – one, of course, looks like a regular sausage, but is wrinkled and dry, while the other consists of a string of tight little beads of 50 or 60 sausages. , which are tied together like a necklace or a garland. , and called Rosary Sausage. Most local markets in Goa usually have a special section reserved for ‘sausage ladies’. Sold almost exclusively by local women, sausage ladies sit with baskets full of Goan sausages to sell.

Apart from Rosary Sausage, and the usual Goan Sausage, they also sell a variant called Kathichim Choris. Kathichim burglaries are difficult to find and can now be seen only in South Goa and some old inns. The process of making these sausages is the same, the only difference is that instead of using pork in this sausage, pork skin and fat are stuffed. The sausage is fried, crispy (a bit like scalded pork), and can now be found only as a snack in some Old Goa bars and taverns.

The best way to cook Goan sausages is to cut open the sausage, cut off the outer casing, and get rid of it using only the meat inside. The flesh inside is chunky and drizzled with red spices and oil. You can then fry the meat in your oil along with some coarsely chopped onions and potatoes. Some people like to make casseroles from sausages. Goa Sausage Casserole is super easy to make and chorize adds such a tempting thing to rice. My friend’s mother used to make ‘Pied’ (Turkish flat bread) style sausage rolls from Goan sausages. I, of course, prefer not to add anything, no onions or potatoes, but boil the sausage in water without cutting it until it evaporates and then cut off the skin and cook the meat on the same pan. Dry it.

The sausage, which by now looks like a stir-fried pork dish, should be eaten with hot poi, or brun or pav. I like to pile a fried egg, runny and sunny side-up, on top of my sausage. It just adds so much sunshine to Goa Sausage.

Kunal Vijaykar is a food writer based in Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. What is the name of his youtube channel? The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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