Goan Sorak | Goan Orange Curry

The Goan Sorak (pronounced 'Sau-raak') is among the simplest of all Goan curries, but certainly, not the least in flavour and colour. Beaming with its bright orange hue, this effortless recipe has been a staple in all Konkani homes and has been customized in each household to suit their palates. Despite the varied styles of its preparation, sorak, in essence, remains a lightly-spiced and tangy coconut-based curry, enjoyed best with cooked rice and some fried fish or pickle or dried fish or... the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:

For the Curry Paste:

• 1 cup of freshly grated Coconut
• 2 dried Kashmiri red Chillies
• 3 dried Bedki red Chillies
• 1 heaped teaspoon of Coriander powder
• 1 levelled teaspoon of Cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder
• 3 large Garlic cloves

To prepare the Curry:

• 1 chopped Tomato
• 1 sliced Onion
• Tamarind juice (soak a small lemon-sized amount in warm water; squeeze and strain)
• 1 tablespoon of Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 slit chilly

Method:

1. First, prepare the Sorak curry paste by grinding together the grated coconut, dried red chillies, coriander powder, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and garlic cloves into a fine paste, adding about a cup of water, a little at a time. This paste can be prepared in a large quantity, if needed, and frozen for future use.

2. To prepare the Sorak, in the vessel that will be used to cook the curry, combine the sliced onion, chopped tomato and salt. Squash these together using a silicone spatula/back of a spoon, or clean fingers. Since we aren’t sautéing this in oil, such squashing results in a softened mixture as after a sauté.

3. Into this, add the prepared curry paste. Pour in approximately 3-4 cups of water to achieve the desired thin, liquid consistency.

4. Heat this prepared mixture on a medium flame. Pour in the tamarind juice and stir. Allow this to cook for 8-10 minutes on a medium-low heat.

5. After the stated time, stir in a tablespoon of sugar. Sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes and tamarind; this quantity doesn’t make the curry sweet, but enhances flavour.

6. Simmer for a minute and add the slit green chilly. Turn off the heat and serve hot.

Tips:

• Some like to add tamarind while grinding the curry paste. Since it imparts an even darker colour to the curry, I avoid this method.
• I use an oil-free method to cook my version of the Sorak. Coconut has its own oil which slowly releases into the curry as it cooks.
• Yes, the addition of sugar might surprise you, but it brings out and strings together the hidden beauty of the other ingredients. Be careful to not add too much, that will sweeten the curry. The stated measure (1 tablespoon) is in proportion to the other ingredients and water that has been added in this recipe.
• Sorak gets thicker with each time it is re-heated. Small additions of water can help its fluidity; however, many Goans enjoy heating up the leftover curry, the next day, till it is nearly the consistency of a thick chutney- this tastes delicious with pav!

You can watch the recipe-video here

Dev Borem Korum :)