Chicken cafreal is an authentic and mouthwatering chicken dish from Goa. It was introduced by African and Portuguese people who were living in Goa at that time. Chicken cafreal is a signature dish of many restaurants in Goa. There are many shops there which sell ready made cafreal masala or paste. It is very popular among the tourists. People who visit Goa and love to eat chicken are definitely pulled into the restaurants where chicken cafreal is being served.
Cilantro, chilies, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, lemon, ginger and garlic are the key ingredients of this dish. Chicken marinated in this green masala and then roasted to juicy perfection. Who does not want that!! The cafreal masala is also used in fish and other vegetarian dishes. This dark green colored chicken cafreal is spicy and tangy which will leave you asking for more.
Serve chicken cafreal with warm bread or rice or pulao or even potato salad.
Chicken Cafreal / How to make Chicken Cafreal Recipe
Course: MainCuisine: Indian, GoanDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes45
minutes2
hoursChicken cafreal is a signature dish from the state of Goa made with chicken cooked in paste made from cilantro, ginger, garlic and some other Indian spices.
Ingredients
1 kg skinless chicken cut into pieces (drumstick preferred)
1 medium bunch of cilantro or coriander, about 1.5 -2 cups
1 inch of ginger, peeled
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
6 green chillies or to taste
2 inch of cinnamon stick
8 cloves
10 black pepper corns
1 mace
1 Tbsp of poppy seeds or khuskhus
1/2 of lemon, juiced
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp of oil
Directions
- Roast cinnamon, black pepper, cloves in a heated pan for 3-5 minutes over low heat. Then add mace, poppy seeds and further roast until poppy seeds turns golden.
- Switch off the heat and transfer the spice into another bowl to stop cooking further.
- Now in a grinder or food processor, grind the above roasted spices into powder. Then into the grinder, add cilantro with its stalk, garlic, ginger, green chillies and lemon juice. Grind everything together to form a thick and smooth paste.
- Now rub the chicken well with this green paste and salt and marinate it overnight or at least for two hour.
- Heat a wide pan with oil and drop the chicken pieces but no marination and cover it and let the chicken cook for 20 minutes, over medium heat, stirring in between.
- Now pour all the remaining marination and again cook covered for 10 minutes.
- Then take off the lid and cook further for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully done and the green gravy is thick. Chicken Cafreal is done.
Notes
- Serve chicken cafreal with rice or potato salad or roti.
- If you want gravy, then before adding chicken add 3-4 sliced onion and cook it until translucent and then add chicken with its marination and cook until done. In this way you get chicken cafreal with gravy.
