Chicken Xacuti

‘Xacuti’ or ‘Shagoti’ is an intense Goan curry made with chicken and a long host of spices, carefully roasted and ground with the quintessential coconut that’s so definitive of Goa. The chicken is often replaced with mutton and tastes equally good. We rather like our Goan food full of spice and heat but do feel free to cut down on the amount of Chilli to suit your taste. It’s all about experimenting  with the diverse flavors till you find a version of the curry that you can call your own.

“Hurry, hurry! It’s nearly time to eat!” said Prakash as he and his band of cousins raced home. They’d spent the afternoon catching tadpoles from the emerald-green pond near the Shantadurga temple. Oil lamps were being lit in the huts surrounding the fields and smoke curled out the chimneys. The Peacocks, hidden from view in the fruit orchards, cried out as…