From Goa to Kerala: Indulge in these regional roasts this Christmas

What’s a hearty Christmas meal without roast? Three chefs from different communities let us in on their memories and versions

Feni-infused roast tongue

Home chef Aaron D’Souza’s memories of X’mas are flavoured by the heady whiff of masalas that go into his mother’s indulgent tongue roast. D’Souza, who dishes out Goan delicacies from The Goan Poie, recalls that the recipe was passed down to his mother, Patience, by his grandmother, which she made her own. Now, he has added his own twist to it with feni-infused chillies. “For our get-togethers, we would have a potluck and my mother would get sorpotel and a roast. The toddy vinegar and feni-infused chillies change the game completely. So, the dish tastes even better after a couple of days,” he shares.

Ingredients
. 1 ox tongue, medium size
. 2 onions, finely chopped
. 6 feni-infused whole Kashmiri chillies (soak in feni overnight or three days)
. 2 tbsp toddy vinegar or lime juice
. 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
. 1 tsp sugar . Salt to taste

Roast masala to grind:
. 40 peppercorns
. 2 cardamoms .
3-inch cinnamon stick
. 10 cloves

Method
Wash the tongue and use a fork to pierce it. This will allow the marinade to seep in. Marinate it with salt, toddy vinegar/lime juice, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric, sugar and the roast masala. Allow the tongue to marinate for at least two hours or preferably overnight. In a pressure cooker, add oil, onions and the feni-infused Kashmiri chillies. Add the marinated tongue with a cup of water. Cook it for 30 minutes on a low flame. After it’s cooked, set aside to cool and cut into thin slices. Add the slices back into the stock that’s in the cooker. Cook till it reaches the desired consistency; you can even fry the slices if you like.

East Indian-style stuffed chicken 

Midnight mass, merry-making with family and friends, the exchange of sweets and a table laden with fugias, sorpotel, vindaloo and a stuffed chicken roast form a part of Savio Nelson D’mello’s Yuletide traditions. D’mello, who runs H&Charlie, a steakhouse in Borivali, shares that the stuffed chicken is originally a Portuguese delicacy that East Indians have adopted; he now prefers to add a more contemporary touch to it by serving the dish with a BBQ, pepper or mushroom sauce.

Ingredients
. 1 whole chicken, roughly 1.5 kg
. 3 tbsp oil for roasting

For the marinade:
. 2 tbsp unsweetened yoghurt 
. 2 tbsp lime juice 
. 2 tbsp garlic paste 
. 1 tsp ginger paste 
. 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 
. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
. 1/2 tsp salt

For the filling:
. 3 tbsp oil 
. 3/4 tsp cumin seeds 
. 2 medium onions, chopped finely 
. 2 tsp garlic paste 
. 1 tsp ginger paste
. 200 gm minced chicken
. 100 gm chicken sausages
. 100 gm chicken salami and chicken ham 
. 1 tbsp ground coriander 
. 1 tbsp ground cumin 
. 1 tbsp garam masala
. Salt to taste 
. 2 medium tomatoes, chopped finely
. 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
. 1 large potato, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes
. 1 tsp lime juice 
. 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

 
Method 
For the marinade, pat the chicken dry. In a large, deep bowl, mix the ingredients together. Place the whole chicken into this marinade and coat it well. Cover the dish with a cling wrap and marinate for two to three hours in the refrigerator. For the filling, gather the ingredients. Heat three tbsp oil on medium flame. Add cumin seeds, followed by onions, and fry until they turn pale golden. Tip in the garlic paste and ginger paste; sauté for a minute. Toss in the minced meat, sausages and ham, ground coriander, garam masala, and salt. Cook the meat, stirring often to prevent burning. This should take five to seven minutes. Now, add tomatoes, peas, and potatoes. Stir and cook until the potatoes are soft. Turn the heat off; add lime juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and fill the stomach cavity with the minced meat stuffing. Try to get all the stuffing in if possible. Place in a baking/roasting dish and drizzle butter all over it. Roast the chicken, uncovered for one hour and 15 minutes at 180 degree Celsius. It should ideally be golden in colour.

Kerala Nasrani-style buff roast  

An indulgent duck roast, or buff peralan (roast) or a chicken roast occupies pride of place at a Kerala Syrian-Christian festive table. Although Ashwin Nair doesn’t hail from the community, the home chef shares that their culinary traditions influenced his cooking style. “[This was] thanks to some much appreciated exposure during my formative years. I fondly remember being invited over for Christmas and Easter parties every year by our Syrian-Christian family friends, as their spread was indeed something to write home about,” he recalls, adding, “My father’s friend, Nirmala Chandy aunty, played a huge role in shaping my understanding of Suriani or Nasrani cooking.” It’s her buff roast that has stayed with him, a delicacy he shares with diners at Aiyo, Patrao!, a delivery venture he runs with Marian D’costa.

Ingredients
. 1 kg buff chunk (a cut ideal for  slow cooking only)
. 1 cup shallots 
. 2 sprigs curry leaves 
. 2 tbsp ginger -garlic paste 
. Salt to taste 
. 1/4 cup coconut slivers (optional) 
. 2 tbsp coriander powder 
. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
. 1 tbsp pepper powder 
. 1 tsp Kerala garam masala 
. 1 tsp fennel powder 
. 3 green chillies 
. 3 tbsp coconut oil

For searing:
. 3 to 4 slit green chillies
. A handful of curry leaves 
. 1/4 cup oil

Method
Wash, clean and set the buff aside. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add the sliced shallots and salt; stir for a few minutes. Tip in the ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell is gone. Now, add the curry leaves. Toss in some turmeric, chilly powder, fennel, coriander and Kerala garam masala. Stir and ensure the spices don’t burn. Now, the cleaned beef goes in. Stir and slow-cook on a low flame without adding much water, till the meat is tender or a little before the desired level of doneness. Set aside the gravy if needed. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan, and add curry leaves along with the cooked beef. Don’t stir much, else the beef will begin to shred. Sear till the beef has a crispy exterior. Now, add in the green chillies. Allow the meat to rest before slicing. Dry up the saved gravy till it’s thick and drizzle over the sliced meat. You can serve it with grilled veggies.

For a mean roast

. Stuffed chicken by H&Charlie
AT Ekta Angan, Holy Cross Road, IC Colony, Borivali.
CALL 9867300090
LOG ON TO Swiggy

. Rudolph’s roast tongue with feni-infused chillies by The Goan Poie
CALL 9167164009
LOG ON TO @thegoanpoie

. Kuttanad duck roast that forms a part of Nair on Fire’s four-course special Christmas feast
CALL 9324059522
LOG ON TO @naironfireindia

. Christmas roast turkey at Gallops
TILL January 1, 12 pm to 11 pm; Christmas Eve dinner on December 24, 7 pm to 11.30 pm
AT Inside Mahalaxmi Racecourse, via gate 1, Keshavrao Khadye Marg.
CALL 8928947188

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