We've been in fabulous Goa for the past two weeks. Goa is beautiful in the monsoons, even if sometimes very inconvenient. We ate many meals at a memorable restaurant called Florentine, in Saligao, thanks to PB and M who told us about it. Its where the Goans eat and Chicken Cafreal seems to be a favourite for everyone. Not many people travel all the way to Goa to eat chicken, but if its the chicken cafreal at florentine's, believe me you'll go back for more. Its served with Pui, a delicious bread that you see on the plate below the cafreal. I have a recipe for cafreal. I can't promise it will taste as fabulous as the one at Florentine, but try it !
Chicken Cafreal1 full chicken with skin, cut in large pieces
salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime
50 grams butter
Finely Grind:
6 dry red kashmiri chillies
1 1/2 cup fresh green coriander leaves
6 peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 inch piece cinnamon
1 blade mace
1 pod garlic
2 inch piece of ginger
1. Marinate chicken pieces in salt, lime, and
ground spices for an hour at least. Marinating it overnight is best.
2. Baste the chicken with butter and seer it on either side first on high heat so that it browns
3. Either cook covered on stove top in a heavy bottomed pan or in the oven in a roasting tray covered with foil.
4. Keep turning the pieces and basting with butter
23 comments:
this brings back happy memories of eating at Florentine's - one of those 'old is gold' kind of places! look forward to trying your version!
Hi Ria....what is giving the chicken its green color? Thx...AP
Hi AP, I haven't a clue, and none of the cafreal recipes has a mention of any green colour giving ingredient. I will find out though, and let you know as soon as I do! I've changed the recipe by the way.
After researching through many more Cafreal recipes I have edited the recipe and added green coriander to be added to the ground paste. That's what gives the masala the green colour.
well it's the coriander and green chillies which give it a green color... hmm i always add lot of green chillies to make it yummy... and you are rite...florentine is the GOD of chicken...can you help me in getting the original recipe of florentine????
I tried this recipe today.. It mentioned 6 red kashmiri chillies ( i think that is a lot .. since i knew how deep red it would get i used just 2.. and it still had that reddish brown color. A Goan born and brought up.. I would suggest using just the green chillies that would give it the nice pungent flavour..
I am still yet to discover the secret ingredient that they use to get the delicious taste.. There was a rumor earlier that they use feni to marinate the chicken.. Well .. you may want to check this website that gives an almost similar recipe.. http://www.goaholidayhomes.com/recipes/29/chicken-cafreal/
Marie, I appreciate your leaving this comment. I will alter the 6 red chillies and leave it at 3-4 green chillies instead.Meanwhile I will still look for a more authentic recipe. I haven't had cafreal this good anywhere else, not anywhere in Goa either :-)
If you taste the chicken with a clean pallete , you will find There is no coriander . Use spinach to give the green color and lots of green chillies specially the ones used for Mirchi pakodas here.
A bit of Schezwan pepper also known as teifa here and black pepper. And Jeera.
Rest all remains the same.
I love chiken cafreal its d best thing I had even in my life..... love florentine restaurant. ....
the exact florentine recipe is still unknown , but i think they boil the chicken first and then finish if with the spices ,,
I tried this recipe....left everything the same except used green chillies instead of red, lots more pepper corns and jeera. Also i realised that florentine 1st bakes the chicken so i marinated the chicken with garlic, pepper and salt and baked with olive oil like a usual baked chicken before i tossed it in the masala
I tried this recipe....left everything the same except used green chillies instead of red, lots more pepper corns and jeera. Also i realised that florentine 1st bakes the chicken so i marinated the chicken with garlic, pepper and salt and baked with olive oil like a usual baked chicken before i tossed it in the masala
Hello everyone
It's nice. To see you'll are trying to replicate florintine recipe I have been going to the place since my childhood and still can't get enough
You'll are putting great effort but you'll are missing the most ingredient of all door I can't tell u the ingredient because I promised them I won't tell to anyone
You'll are close but missing the most important ingredient.
Hi Ria, Nice effort and Nice blog and nice pic :)
You have to try harder .
TIP : don't forget the rum and vinegar. and 1 pod of garlic ! no ways 10 pods and 1 inch ginger ! and no Kashmiri chillies !! green chillies ..
wont disclose the rest :) I tried a lot! and finally got it .
Wow..great blog, thanks for sharing
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The greatest most flavourful dish from the best restaurant in the world bar none Michelin restaurants. Unmatched consistency. Have gone there for 30 years. The most genuine curry rice and cacti in Goa.
That's Florentine
Its Florentine and cacti.
I is first boiled not baked as it would get dried from within if it were
There are 2 kinds of cafreal. The other one is red chilly based one which is the origional Portuguese one.
Great to have so many versions of Florentine's signature dish.
I'll hazzard a good guess what the secret ingredient is . Its fresh Toddy vinegar, with a dash of cashew feni. Probably the rum came from the Portuguese red gravy Cafreal as i mentioned earlier. Will get back after further experimentation
I heard they use coconut feni.
Plz share florentine receipe
Thank a lot for this post that was very interesting :)
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I think it's cooked in lard.
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