Chicken Cafreal aka Galinha Cafreal is a Portuguese influenced dish popular in the Goan cuisine! Learn how to make this Goan delight with step by step pictures.
No festive occasion is complete without chicken cafreal on the menu along with the popular sorpotel , vindaloo’s/vindalho’s, xacuti and the likes.
But who really needs an occasion to indulge in some chicken cafreal? I prepare it quite frequently, mostly for our Sunday meals, coz weekend meals are meant to be special, at least that is what I remember since my childhood. Pulao, biryani’s and rich curries were mostly reserved for Sunday’s!
- Let’s talk about cafreal masala
- Some easy tips to keep in mind before making this recipe
- You may also enjoy these Goan dishes
- How to make authentic Goan chicken cafreal recipe – Step by step instructions
- Chicken Cafreal Recipe | Goan Galinha Cafreal
Let’s talk about cafreal masala
In this dish, chicken is marinated with an uber-flavorful green spice paste known as cafreal masala. And here’s what goes into this spice paste;
- Coriander (cilantro) leaves
- Green chillies
- Ginger and garlic
- Ground turmeric
- Whole spices like peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin seeds
- Poppy seeds
- A sour ingredient which may vary from tamarind to lime juice to vinegar!
Chicken cafreal is fiery, rustic, a bit tangy, utterly aromatic and absolutely delicious all at once!
Adjectives fall short to describe how fantastic this dish is!
Some folks add a splash of rum when the chicken is almost done which actually adds a nice, festive finish to the dish!
Served alongside some potato wedges/fries and salad, and you have a complete, wholesome meal!
Some easy tips to keep in mind before making this recipe
Chicken leg pieces are your best bet to make chicken cafreal, the meat is succulent, tender and just falls apart. So delicious! You may use breast pieces too. I’ve made a semi gravy version, allowing the marinade to almost dry up, coating the chicken with all that aromatic and flavorful deliciousness.
You can have it in the form of curry too, adjust the liquid as required and enjoy it with some pulao or bread instead.
Marinating the chicken in the cafreal paste overnight gives maximum flavor to the dish, so I highly recommend you do a little prep work in advance to thoroughly enjoy chicken cafreal! If you have any leftovers (highly unlikely :D) use them in sandwiches, wraps etc.
You may also enjoy these Goan dishes
Recheado masala stuffed squids
Recheado masala chicken drumsticks
Mussels rava fry
How to make authentic Goan chicken cafreal recipe – Step by step instructions
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
Pat dry the chicken (1.5 pounds), make some gashes on the chicken thighs. Rub it well with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste & 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. In the meanwhile prepare the cafreal masala.
Step 2: Cafreal masala
In a blender/grinder, add 1 cup coriander leaves with tender stems, 6-7 green chilies, 6-7 garlic cloves, 1.5 inch ginger root, 4 cloves, 8 peppercorns, 1-inch cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and a small ball of tamarind. Grind to a smooth paste using water as required. I used a little more than 1/4 cup water.
Step 3: Marinate the chicken
Apply half of the prepared marinade to the chicken and let it marinate 2-3 hours or overnight preferably. Reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator.
Step 4: Cook
Before you cook the chicken, remove it out from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
Heat butter and oil in a pan. Once it is hot, add the chicken pieces, cook until golden brown on both sides.
Then add the reserved marinade along with 1/2 cup water, cook covered on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
When the chicken is almost done, cook uncovered, till the gravy dries up a bit and the masala coats the chicken well.
Step 5: Serve
Once done, sprinkle lemon juice and serve hot along with some potato wedges, lime wedges, and salad.
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Chicken Cafreal Recipe | Goan Galinha Cafreal
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs
- 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
For the cafreal masala
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro/coriander leaves with tender stalks, about 30 stalks
- 6-7 green chillies, adjust as per desired heat
- 6-7 large garlic cloves
- 1 & 1/2 inch piece of ginger
- 4 cloves
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 inch of cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- A small ball of tamarind/Juice of half a lime
Other ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken, make some gashes on the chicken thighs. Rub it well with lemon juice. ginger garlic paste & salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. In the meanwhile prepare the cafreal masala.
- In a blender/grinder, add all the ingredients listed under cafreal masala and make a smooth paste using water as required. I used a little more than 1/4 cup water.
- Apply half of the prepared marinade to the chicken and let it marinate 2-3 hours or overnight preferably. Reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator.
- Before you cook the chicken, remove it out from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Heat butter and oil in a pan. Once it is hot, add the chicken pieces, cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Then add the reserved marinade along with 1/2 cup water, cook covered on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. When the chicken is almost done, cook uncovered, till the gravy dries up a bit and the masala coats the chicken well.
- Once done, sprinkle lemon juice and serve hot along with some potato wedges, lime wedges, and salad.
Chicken Cafreal Recipe | Goan Galinha Cafreal
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs
- 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
For the cafreal masala
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro/coriander leaves with tender stalks, about 30 stalks
- 6-7 green chillies, adjust as per desired heat
- 6-7 large garlic cloves
- 1 & 1/2 inch piece of ginger
- 4 cloves
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 inch of cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- A small ball of tamarind/Juice of half a lime
Other ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken, make some gashes on the chicken thighs. Rub it well with lemon juice. ginger garlic paste & salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. In the meanwhile prepare the cafreal masala.
- In a blender/grinder, add all the ingredients listed under cafreal masala and make a smooth paste using water as required. I used a little more than 1/4 cup water.
- Apply half of the prepared marinade to the chicken and let it marinate 2-3 hours or overnight preferably. Reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator.
- Before you cook the chicken, remove it out from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Heat butter and oil in a pan. Once it is hot, add the chicken pieces, cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Then add the reserved marinade along with 1/2 cup water, cook covered on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. When the chicken is almost done, cook uncovered, till the gravy dries up a bit and the masala coats the chicken well.
- Once done, sprinkle lemon juice and serve hot along with some potato wedges, lime wedges, and salad.
This hariyali sabudana khichdi, prepared using a ground paste of coriander and chillies , is a delicious twist to the regular sabudana khichdi.
Sabudana khichdi is a popular Maharashtrian breakfast snack. Soaked and drained sabudana (tapioca pearls) are tempered with cumin seeds, curry leaves, and green chillies. Tapioca is also consumed in the form of vadas (fritters).
Making this hariyali sabudana khichdi needs some planning as you have to soak the pearls a few hours ahead. Now the quantity of water to be added can be very tricky, especially if you are new to cooking with this ingredient. Been there, done that! And if you are like me, and don’t like to waste food, you can simply use them to make fritters.
- HOW TO SOAK SABUDANA?
- IF YOU LIKE THIS HARIYALI SABUDANA KHICHDI FOR BREAKFAST, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE,
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE HARIYALI SABUDANA KHICHDI | SAGO KHICHDI | NON-STICKY SABUDANA KHICHDI
- HOW TO MAKE HARIYALI SABUDANA KHICHDI | CHUTNEY WALE SABUDANA KHICHDI?
- Hariyali Sabudana Khichdi Recipe | Sabudana Khichdi In Green Masala
HOW TO SOAK SABUDANA?
I’ve found that the ratio of 1:1:: tapioca: water works the best. I use the same measuring cup to measure out both! I usually leave it to soak overnight in the refrigerator, as I mostly prepare this for breakfast.
Even if the water is less, you can always sprinkle more in case the pearls have not yet softened. Addition of excess water will result in a soggy mass, which is difficult to reverse.
I usually make this khichdi the regular way, so when I came across this recipe by my friend Zulekha@ Zulekhas kitchen , and I knew I had to try it, as it was different from the regular sabudana khichdi.
This hariyali sabudana khichdi recipe calls for a ground paste of coriander leaves and chillies, I loved how appetizing it looked, and had bookmarked it, adding to the many recipes I already have, hoping to try them all, if this lifetime suffices 😀 The only thing I added to the recipe was a pinch of sugar as I like this khichdi sweet and spicy! I reckon you can add potatoes too if you like that, but this was good enough for us!
- Mix veggie besan chilla
- Vermicelli idli
- And more recipe ideas here
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE HARIYALI SABUDANA KHICHDI | SAGO KHICHDI | NON-STICKY SABUDANA KHICHDI
1.Wash the sabudana well under running water. Add approx 1/2 cup of water, just about enough to soak the sabudana . Let it soak for 3 hours or until all the pearls have swelled up and are soft when you try to mash with your fingers. Soaking time will vary depending upon the quality of the sabudana . I usually leave it overnight in the refrigerator. By morning the sabudana has soaked up well, retains its shape whilst still being soft. If there is any extra water left after the soaking time, drain it. If the sabudana is still hard, sprinkle some more water and let it soak for few more hours.
2.Wash cilantro leaves and grind them with green chillies and a little salt into a coarse paste in the food processor or you can also use mortar pestle.
3.Take few roasted peanuts and crush them into thick pieces in the mortar pestle.
4.In a non-stick pan or kadai, heat oil. Once the oil is hot enough add cumin seeds and curry leaves, let it splutter. Add crushed peanuts and fry for half a minute.
5.Now add the coarsely ground cilantro chilli paste & fry for a minute. Add just 1/4 cup water to the mortar or blender in which you ground the paste and add this extract to the kadai, boil for a minute.
6.Add soaked and drained sabudana, a pinch of sugar, mix well. Check for seasonings and adjust salt as required. Cover and cook on low flame for 3-5 minutes or until sabudana is done.
7.Dish out, squeeze lemon juice and serve hot.
HOW TO MAKE HARIYALI SABUDANA KHICHDI | CHUTNEY WALE SABUDANA KHICHDI?
Hariyali Sabudana Khichdi Recipe | Sabudana Khichdi In Green Masala
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1/2 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls), yields 1 & 1/2 cup of soaked and drained sabudana
- 1 &1/4 cups cilantro/coriander leaves with tender stalks
- 2-3 green chillies
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 -3 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 5-6 curry leaves
- 2-3 lemon wedges
- salt, to taste
- pinch of sugar, optional
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Wash the sabudana well under running water. Add approx 1/2 cup of water, just about enough to soak the sabudana. Let it soak for 3 hours or until all the pearls have swelled up and are soft when you try to mash with your fingers. Soaking time will vary depending upon the quality of the sabudana. I usually leave it overnight in the refrigerator. By morning the sabudana has soaked up well, retains its shape whilst still being soft. If there is any extra water left after the soaking time, drain it. If the sabudana is still hard, sprinkle some more water and let it soak for few more hours.
- Wash cilantro leaves and grind them with green chillies and a little salt into a coarse paste in the food processor or you can also use mortar pestle.
- Take few roasted peanuts and crush them into thick pieces in the mortar pestle.
- In a nonstick pan or kadai, heat oil. Once the oil is hot enough add cumin seeds and curry leaves, let it splutter. Add crushed peanuts and fry for half a minute.
- Now add the coarsely ground cilantro chilli paste & fry for a minute. Add just 1/4 cup water to the mortar or blender in which you ground the paste and add this extract to the kadai, boil for a minute.
- Add soaked and drained sabudana, a pinch of sugar, mix well. Check for seasonings and adjust salt as required. Cover and cook on low flame for 3-5 minutes or until sabudana is done.
- Dish out, squeeze lemon juice and serve hot.
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Regards,
Freda
