This vegan vegetable xacuti has chunky vegetables like mushrooms and potatoes in a creamy, tangy, spicy sauce of coconut milk and tamarind. It's perfect with a bowl of rice.
As diverse as the menu often is at our home -- decided by a love for foods we've picked up during our travels, at our favorite restaurants, and from friends -- our comfort food is still the one mom made. For Desi, it's a small mountain of rice with sambar or rasam and a vegetable curry of okra or eggplant. For me, it's varan-bhat (dal and rice in Marathi) with limbache lonche (lemon pickle).
But there was one more cuisine that left deep roots inside me: the cooking of my Goan stepmother who raised me after my mom passed away. This was delicious food, and needed no getting used to, although I was a rather unfussy child when it came to food (I refused to eat fish, though, a prominent ingredient in Goan food).
Goan cuisine, as I've told you before, is an interesting and delicious amalgam of the food of the coastal Konkan region, where Goa is located, and the state's Portuguese colonizers who left just over 50 years ago. Xacuti, a meaty, satisfying stew characterized by a complex mix of spices, is one of the more popular recipes born of this union, and it is usually made with chicken or with beef.
Xacuti (sha-koo-ti) is a specialty of the large Christian community of Goa, whose cuisine has many common denominators with the Goan Hindu food my stepmom cooked, even as it stands apart in a distinct and delicious class of its own. It truly combines the best ingredients from the two worlds: coconut and tamarind from the Konkan coast, and vinegar from the west. The liberal use of a variety of spices in this recipe -- and in many Portuguese Indian recipes -- is not surprising when you consider that spices pulled the colonizers to Indian shores in the first place.
What makes this Goan Vegetable Xacuti truly special is that it combines all flavors, creating the perfect balance: the bitterness of fenugreek, the sweetness of coconut milk, the sourness of tamarind and vinegar, the pungency of the onions, and the umami of the mushrooms. And then there are the textures: the creaminess of the potatoes, the slight bite of the red peppers, the satiating meatiness of the mushrooms. Even a meat-eater would not miss the meat here.
This Vegetable Xacuti is a slightly more indulgent recipe than I make on weeknights, because of the longer list of ingredients and also because of the slightly longer cooking times to ensure the spices get done. Still, it is a one-pot meal and comes together in under 45 minutes, so it is by no means time consuming. And it does make a weeknight meal -- or a weekend one -- rather special.
Looking for more vegan Goan recipes?
- Vegan Goan "Beef" Curry
- Goan Feijoada
- Vegetable Vindaloo
- Vegan Mango Curry
- Vegan Ros Omelette
- Vegan Goan "Sausage" Curry
Goan Vegetable Xacuti Recipe
Vegetable Xacuti
Ingredients
- 12 cremini mushrooms (halved. Button mushrooms are fine here)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 medium potatoes (cubed. Red and yellow, either works)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic (smashed)
- ½ inch piece of ginger (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
- 3 green cardamoms
- 3 cloves
- ½-inch piece of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 2 dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoon raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup coconut milk (canned or made fresh)
- Coriander leaves for garnish
- 1 ½ teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat ½ teaspoon of coconut oil. Add the red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin, fenugreek, caraway or shahi jeera, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and peppercorns, and saute until they are fragrant and the coriander is slightly darker, 2-3 minutes. Add the poppy seeds, cashews, onions, ginger, and garlic, and continue to saute until the onions start to caramelize.
- Remove the sauteed ingredients to a blender, add turmeric and paprika if using, vinegar, tamarind, and ½ cup of water, and blend into a smooth paste.
- Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the same saucepan. Add the blended paste and mix well.
- Cover the saucepan with a tight lid and let the paste cook for 20 minutes or until it turns a couple of shades darker. Stir occasionally to ensure it's not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it is, add a little water.
- After 20 minutes, add the mushrooms, potatoes and red peppers. Add some salt to taste, sugar, and cover again and let the stew cook another 15 minutes. The vegetables will release some juices, so don't add too much water at this stage. After 15 minutes, if the stew looks too thick, you can thin it out to your liking with vegetable stock or water.
- Add the coconut milk and let it warm through. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with some rice or crusty bread.
Nutrition
Daina
Hi. If I have Xacuti spice mix (a friend from Goa gave it to me) do I just skip all of the spices? Can I s with zucchini or summer squash?
Thx!
Ruth Eisenbud
I wish I liked mushrooms, the goan vegetable xacuti looks so good. So instead I mad the goan feijoada.... It was so delicious, what an inspired blend of spices.... subtle, yet complex. I made it without the vegan sausages because I just wanted to enjoy the wonderful flavor of beans and spices. It was delicious.
Vaishali
So glad you tried the feijoada, Ruth. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Bhairavi
Hi
love your blog!! Thank you for all the lovely recipes. My daughter hates mushrooms-what could i replace them with please?
All the best for the New Year
Bhairavi
Vaishali
Hi Bhairavi, eggplant would be great, but would be a good idea to roast them first, or butternut squash.
Kathy
Wonderful recipe, Thank you! I will definitely make it this weekend!
Namrata
Wow! Looks so "meaty" and filling! But I'm too lazy to actually make something this complicated 🙁 Wish you could feed me!
Vaishali
Hi Namrata, it's not complicated at all. You just need the ingredients. But I'd be happy to feed you anytime! 🙂
Richard
Just made this on a cold evening in London, UK. So good 🙂
Love all your recipes!
Vaishali
Richard, how wonderful! So excited you tried it. 🙂
Jay
Excellent recipe. Thank you
Vaishali
Thanks, Jay. 🙂
Padma
ok this comment has nothing to do with cooking. But my mom died when I was 11 and my dad has several personality issues. Although, I had many challenges growing up with my dad, his drinking etc , servants cooking or no cooking sometimes, I never had a step mother and that was something I was always afraid of.
Sorry to get personal.
love to you,
Padma
Vaishali
Hi Padma, I feel your pain. It's really impossible to replace a parent. My mom passed away when I was seven, and I have very few memories of her, but I miss her every day even today.
Padma
I never met anybody whose mom passed away young...
I never knew my mother as a person. About three years ago , a friend was dating a man whose wife had died recently and he had a daughter. In order to understand her, my friend read the book called the " motherless daughters". I read and it was life changing. I understood so many things about myself after I read this book. If you haven't already, please look it up. You may also understand your style of parenting better and understand the roots of my behavior.
geetha
Hi Vaishali,
I look forward to the recipes as well as your writing.Your poetic description of Xacuti is making me all excited, to cook and taste it.:) But nothing compares to varan rice with ghee(once upon a time) and limbache lonche.:)
Vaishali
Hi Geetha, thank you for your kind words! Hope you will try it.