Bolinhas are classic Goan cookies, made with semolina and coconut. These bolinhas will definitely make a festive addition to your Christmas cookie platter. So let’s learn how to make bolinhas!
December is officially here!! I guess all of us agree that time does fly by with the blink of an eye! Is it just me? Why do I feel like this phenomenon never occurred when we were kids?
Let’s rejoice anyway, it’s the holiday season!!! The joyous feeling of Christmas is already in the air, with gifts, decor & other holiday accents embellishing the racks of most stores.
I’ve begun preparing my Christmas goodies:) Today I made these traditional Goan cookies, ‘Bolinhas ‘, pronounced as bolinyas, which means cookies in Portuguese and ‘c oco ‘ means coconut.
Usually, whenever we visited Goa, we would just buy packets of bolinhas from the store, but I never really liked them! Today for the first time, I made it at home, with the help of my mum in law. She learnt this from her younger sister’s mum in law, so this recipe is almost 3 or maybe even more generations old.
I just loved the outcome of today’s bake, and I cannot even compare our homemade bolinhas to the store-bought ones, no wonder I never liked them, but that perception has changed for good now. This Goan coconut biscuit is really delectable, crunchy on the outside and has a soft and crumbly interior, with the flavor of coconut and nutmeg being pretty prominent.
- YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE TRADITIONAL GOAN CHRISTMAS SWEETS
- HOW TO MAKE BOLINHAS?
- Bolinhas | Bolinhos De Coco | Goan coconut cookies
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE TRADITIONAL GOAN CHRISTMAS SWEETS
- Bebinca
- Guava cheese
- Milk Cream
- Coconut Toffee
- Baath cake
- Doce de grao (chana dal fudge)
- Karanji/Neureos
- Kormolas
- Shankapali
- No cook and eggless marzipan
HOW TO MAKE BOLINHAS?
Bolinhas | Bolinhos De Coco | Goan coconut cookies
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 250 grams semolina/rava, the coarse variety, about 1&1/3 cup
- 250 grams freshly grated coconut,
- 200 grams granulated sugar, about 1 cup
- 2 medium eggs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter/ghee
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder, or cardamom powder/vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a thick bottomed pan, roast the semolina, stirring continuously, until dry and aromatic, takes about 8-10 minutes.
- In the grinder jar, add the freshly grated/desiccated coconut, pulse it a couple of times, to break down the grated coconut to smaller bits. Now add 1/4 cup water, grind. It will not turn into a smooth paste, but will just moisten the fine coconut bits, not affecting the texture much.
- In a big mixing bowl, add butter and sugar. Whisk to blend well, we don’t have to incorporate air.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time, beat until incorporated. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled at this point.
- Now add the roasted semolina in 2 batches, stirring the mixture well with the addition of each batch.
- Next, add grated coconut, along with nutmeg powder, mix everything well. The mixture will still be wet at this stage. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter at room temperature for 6-8 hours, the semolina absorbs all the moisture in the batter and puffs up.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Make small lime size balls (about 1.5 tbsp) from the batter. Place them on the prepared baking tray 2 inches apart.
- Flatten them, with the help of a knife, cut a cross in the middle of each. Bake at 350 degrees F, for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the tray to a cooling rack, let it cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Broil for another minute for a darker golden brown color.
Notes
- You may even use 250 grams of sugar if you want the cookies sweeter.
- If you are using store-bought frozen grated coconut, thaw it until it reaches room temperature. Pulse it a few times in the grinder, avoid adding the 1/4 cup of water, as the grated coconut is already pretty moist.
- You may use the same amount of desiccated coconut in this recipe.
- If the batter feels too soft to form a ball after 6-8 hours, refrigerate it for another 1-2 hours. Then form the balls and bake.
- For fluffier bolinhas, you may add 1 tsp baking powder after resting the batter for 6-8 hours.
- For an eggless version, you can substitute each egg for 1/4 cup yogurt. Keep the batter in the refrigerator, so the yogurt doesn’t turn too sour. Though I haven’t tried the eggless version, I think it should work well.
I would love to hear from you, please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Facebook @ Aromaticessence
Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence
Instagram @ aromatic_essence77
Twitter @ freda_dias
Regards,
Freda
Bolinhas | Bolinhos De Coco | Goan coconut cookies
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 250 grams semolina/rava, the coarse variety, about 1&1/3 cup
- 250 grams freshly grated coconut,
- 200 grams granulated sugar, about 1 cup
- 2 medium eggs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter/ghee
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder, or cardamom powder/vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a thick bottomed pan, roast the semolina, stirring continuously, until dry and aromatic, takes about 8-10 minutes.
- In the grinder jar, add the freshly grated/desiccated coconut, pulse it a couple of times, to break down the grated coconut to smaller bits. Now add 1/4 cup water, grind. It will not turn into a smooth paste, but will just moisten the fine coconut bits, not affecting the texture much.
- In a big mixing bowl, add butter and sugar. Whisk to blend well, we don’t have to incorporate air.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time, beat until incorporated. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled at this point.
- Now add the roasted semolina in 2 batches, stirring the mixture well with the addition of each batch.
- Next, add grated coconut, along with nutmeg powder, mix everything well. The mixture will still be wet at this stage. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter at room temperature for 6-8 hours, the semolina absorbs all the moisture in the batter and puffs up.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Make small lime size balls (about 1.5 tbsp) from the batter. Place them on the prepared baking tray 2 inches apart.
- Flatten them, with the help of a knife, cut a cross in the middle of each. Bake at 350 degrees F, for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the tray to a cooling rack, let it cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Broil for another minute for a darker golden brown color.
Notes
- You may even use 250 grams of sugar if you want the cookies sweeter.
- If you are using store-bought frozen grated coconut, thaw it until it reaches room temperature. Pulse it a few times in the grinder, avoid adding the 1/4 cup of water, as the grated coconut is already pretty moist.
- You may use the same amount of desiccated coconut in this recipe.
- If the batter feels too soft to form a ball after 6-8 hours, refrigerate it for another 1-2 hours. Then form the balls and bake.
- For fluffier bolinhas, you may add 1 tsp baking powder after resting the batter for 6-8 hours.
- For an eggless version, you can substitute each egg for 1/4 cup yogurt. Keep the batter in the refrigerator, so the yogurt doesn’t turn too sour. Though I haven’t tried the eggless version, I think it should work well.
Recheado masala is a fiery and tangy Goan condiment. It is mostly used as a stuffing for mackerels and other seafood.
Recheado masala paste is so versatile, it can also be used for marinating chicken, prawns or even paneer for a vegetarian option and so many other dishes.
Mackerel fish fry | bangada fish fry is one of the most popular Goan dishes that make use of this Goan recheado masala paste .
- How is Goan recheado masala paste made?
- You may also like these quick and delicious recipes made using recheado masala-
- INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE GOAN RECHEADO RECIPE
- HOW TO MAKE RECHEADO MASALA?
- Recheado Masala | Goan Recheado Masala Recipe
How is Goan recheado masala paste made?
Feni , a spirit prepared exclusively in Goa, is used in the preparation of this paste. Since it is not available here, I’ve skipped it. If you have access to it, then most certainly use it.
Goan vinegar is another important ingredient for the recheado masala. But since that isn’t available here too, I’ve substituted it with red wine vinegar, which is quite similar in taste to the Goan vinegar.
Goan recheado masala stuffed squids (calamari)
Recheado chicken drumsticks
Fish recheado/mackerel recheado
Goan mussels rava fry
INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE GOAN RECHEADO RECIPE
1.Peel the garlic, chop the ginger in smaller pieces.
2.Discard the stalks of the chillies, and deseed half of them ( or as per your spice preference)
3.In an electric mixer/grinder, add all the ingredients except the water, pulse everything, add water gradually as required, to make a very smooth but thick paste.
4.Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the ground masala, cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble up.
5.Let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container, cover and store it in the refrigerator. Use as required.
NOTE
Updating this post to give more info on the storage of this masala. If you will be storing this outside at room temperature then do not use water at all for grinding, grind it with vinegar only. We usually store it in the refrigerator, so a mix of water and vinegar works perfectly fine, it lasts for more than a year in the refrigerator.
HOW TO MAKE RECHEADO MASALA?
Recheado Masala | Goan Recheado Masala Recipe
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 100 grams dried Kashmiri chillies
- 1 large garlic bulb, about 75 grams
- 1 inch ginger root
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1/2 tbsp cloves
- 5 green cardamom
- 2- inch cinnamon stick
- 1/3 cup tamarind
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar/Goan vinegar/white distilled vinegar
- 1/4 cup Feni (optional, skip if you don’t have), If using it, then reduce the vinegar to 1/2 cup
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 & 1/2 cup purified water, or as required
Instructions
- Peel the garlic, chop the ginger in smaller pieces.
- Discard the stalks of the chillies, and deseed half of them (or as per your spice preference)
- In an electric mixer/grinder, add all the ingredients except the water, pulse everything, add water gradually as required, to make a very smooth but thick paste.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the ground masala, cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble up.
- Let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container, cover and store it in the refrigerator. Use as required.
Notes
I would love to hear from you, please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Facebook @ Aromaticessence
Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence
Instagram @ aromatic_essence77
Twitter @ freda_dias
Regards,
Freda
