When in Goa, one can see the streets filled with Christmas-themed décor and bakeries brimming with decadent baked delights. The aroma of freshly-baked holiday cakes, puddings, and pies makes it a tough task to pass by without digging into them. While the lavish Christmas feast is an essential part of the celebrations, filled with loads of savouries and meaty treats, desserts hold a special place at the dinner table.
In Goa, you’d find cakes being baked in one household while the others deep-fry their sweet puff pastries for Christmas. The coastal state’s diverse sweet fare is something you would also love to try at home. To ring in the festivities, homes are lit up, Christmas trees are decorated, and the decadent dessert platter is set to be devoured.
Here are some tempting Goan desserts that you can try at home.
1. Bebinca
A multi-layered Goan cake that is made with maida, coconut milk and sugar, Bebinca is a must-have during holidays. The jelly-like texture of the thin layers stacked one on top of another make it a delightful treat. The richness of the cake comes from the use of oodles of ghee and making Bebinca is a time-consuming process.
2. Kulkuls
Also known as Kidiyos, these are popular Christmas treats in Goa. The deep-fried pastries made of maida and jaggery are shaped into small curls before frying. The crunchy and sweet dessert is especially made during the holiday season and is an important part of the dessert platter.
3. Dodol
This is another classic Goan sweet meat that is prepared during the festive season. Around Christmas time, you’ll find heaps of sticky, dark puddings kept on dessert plates whenever you visit someone’s house. Made with coconut milk and Goan palm jaggery, Dodoi has a jelly-like texture which is obtained after it is cooked on wood fire, instead of being baked like other desserts.
4. Serradura
A dessert that was a gift of the Portuguese which they brought with them to India, serradura is a type of sawdust pudding that is prepared on festive occasions. The word serradura means sawdust in Portuguese and this comes from the crushed marie biscuits that are added to it in the form of a fine powder. Mixed with condensed milk and whipped cream, the pudding is garnished with chocolate shavings.
5. Baath Cake
This is a soft and moist cake that is made with semolina and coconut. The coastal flavours are clearly reflected in the ingredients of this cake and it is often made during Christmas. Roasted coconut flakes add a slight crunch and mild sweetness to the cake which is baked until the crust turns brown and is then sliced into pieces.