This Friday Night Takeaway, we’re cooking something slow, soulful, and deeply rooted in place.
A proper Goan pork curry.
And before anyone says it — no, it’s not the “vindaloo” you might be picturing from a British curry house menu. What many people know as vindaloo — fiercely hot, sharp, and often rushed — has very little to do with the real cooking of Goa.
In Goan homes, pork curries are slow affairs. Built patiently. Layered carefully.
The roots of the dish go back to Portuguese influence in Goa, where pork was marinated with vinegar, garlic, and spices — a method that preserved and deepened flavour long before refrigeration. Over generations, local cooks added dried chillies, black pepper, cumin, and palm vinegar, creating something balanced, rich, and deeply aromatic.
A true Goan pork curry is not about heat for heat’s sake. It’s about:
- Gentle acidity from vinegar
- Warmth from dried chillies
- Sweetness from slowly cooked onions
- Depth from garlic and whole spices
- Pork that has had time to soften and surrender
It’s complex but comforting. Spiced but rounded. Bold but never harsh. In many Goan homes, the curry would be cooked in the morning and eaten later, once the flavours had settled and deepened.
This Friday’s takeaway is slow-cooked pork or chicken, the way it’s meant to be — patient, honest, and full of character. Not the curry-house caricature. The real thing.
THIS WEEK’S MENU
MAINS
(All mains include Coconut Rice: Fragrant basmati rice cooked with coconut milk and a pinch of salt)
- Slow Cooked Goan Pork — 14.50 €A true Goan-style pork curry, slow-simmered the traditional way. Marinated with palm vinegar, plenty of garlic, and dried red chillies, then gently cooked with toasted cumin, black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. Onions are cooked down slowly to bring natural sweetness, balancing the gentle acidity of the vinegar. Rich, warming, deeply aromatic, and layered rather than fiery.
- Slow Cooked Goan Chicken (Breast Meat) — 14.50 €If you don’t like pork: Marinated with palm vinegar, plenty of garlic, and dried red chillies, then gently cooked with toasted cumin, black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon with slowly caramelized onions.
- Goan Aubergine & Potato Curry (V) — 13.00 €Soft aubergine and tender potatoes simmered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, and coriander. Lightly spiced with dried chilli and finished with warmth from cumin and black pepper. Comforting, earthy, and beautifully balanced.
SIDES & EXTRAS
- Goan Daliche Toy — 4.00 €A comforting Goan home staple of yellow split pigeon peas (toor dal) simmered with turmeric and fresh green chilies. Finished with a classic tempered blend of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida (hing) bloomed in ghee, alongside freshly grated coconut. Simple, light, and soul-warming.
- Chappatis (Pack of two) — 3.00 €Traditional griddled Indian flatbread. Soft, warm, and perfect for scooping up every last bit of sauce.
- Fried Pappadums (Per bag) — 3.00 €Light, crisp lentil wafers. Salty, crunchy, and ideal for dipping or nibbling