Simple Goan Goddxem Recipe

Traditional Goan dessert – Goddxem

Let’s make an old, true-blue, traditional Goan sweet dish. Let me show you a simple Goan goddxem recipe. This humble Goan dessert – goddxem, is not a glamorous sweet dish requiring expensive ingredients. Perhaps it’s because it’s so simple that sadly, it’s been forgotten by many. However, goddxem is what Goans have been making as a tea time treat for generations. I’m sure it will remind those of you who are Goans of how your mum used to make it for you to enjoy as a child when you came home hungry from school.

By the way, goddxem is not just tasty and nutritious, it’s also gluten-free and a great vegan dish too to enjoy for breakfast, with your afternoon tea, or as a dessert after lunch or dinner. In my opinion, this delicious, healthy, home-grown dish is worth preserving, by Goans at least, for future generations. So now, let’s re-discover the magic of an old favourite – Goan goddxem.

Another great Goan traditional dessert to check out would be the flavourful Goan vonn.

Ingredients

½ cup rice (parboiled or regular)

½ cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

½ cup (approx. 105g) grated cane jaggery

½ pyramid (approx. 50g) palm jaggery

1½ cup coconut milk (from 1 cup grated fresh coconut)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cardamom

3 tbsp chopped cashew nuts (optional)

Procedure

1. Wash and soak the rice and chana dal, each in an equal quantity of water for around 2 hours.
2. Transfer the rice and dal along with the water they were soaked in to a pressure cooker vessel. Add 2 cups of water to this mix.
3. Pressure cook the rice and dal mix. After the cooker comes to full pressure, lower the heat and cook this under pressure for 15 minutes.
4. Next, transfer the pressure-cooked mix to a non-stick pan. Add 1 cup of water to it and cook the mix for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
5. Add in both the kinds of jaggery. Stir the mix and cook it for 3-4 minutes or till all the jaggery dissolves.
6. Then add the salt, ground cardamom, and the coconut milk. Stir everything and continue cooking the mix till it begins to thicken.
7. Stir in the chopped cashew nuts and continue cooking the goddxem till almost all the liquid evaporates and the mix comes together into a soft mass. (This could take around 20 to 25 minutes from the addition of the coconut milk.) Take it off the stove.
8. Divide the goddxem into two lightly greased plates. Shape the goddxem in each plate into a thick disc like a cake. Decorate the top with cashew nuts if you want and allow the goddxem to cool for around 40 to 45 minutes.
9. Cut it into individual portions and serve.

Enjoy!