Chorizo – Goan Sausages

I was merely a school going kid when I had my first taste of Chorizo. At the time we merely knew of them as Goan Sausages. Mum hated to cook; still hates to cook. She rarely cooked even when I was a kid. I don’t hold it against her, she was a working mum and it was just something she disliked, as simple as that. Even today, you have a much better chance of seeing a blue moon then you have of seeing my mum in the kitchen. Yeah, she puts a blue moon to shame. *very evil grin* In those days (mid 1970’s) a friend gave her a packet of ‘goan sausages’, told her they were darn easy to make and guided her with regard to the recipe. I follow the very same recipe to this day. Yes, finally a recipe handed down to me by my mum. I know, I know, I’m being very evil, but I also know, she wouldn’t want me to be any other way. 😉  

Ingredients:

1 packet/400 grams Smoked Chorizo (Goan Sausages),

8 large onions, roughly sliced

3 to 4 large potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes

Salt to taste

Water as needed

Method:

1.    Cut the strings with which the Chorizos are tied.

2.    Snip open the sausage casing  and remove the chorizo meat from within. Discard the casings. Keep the chorizo meat aside.

3.    Place half the quantity of the sliced onions in a vessel. Place half the quantity of sausages over it. Cover the sausages with half the quantity of diced potatoes. 

4.    Repeat the layering (onions-sausages-potatoes) with the remaining ingredients.

5.    Add enough water to cover the ingredients and bring the contents to a rapid boil.

6.    Lower heat; cover the vessel with a lid. Please use a lid that can hold water. 

7.    Pour half a glass of water into the lid that covers the vessel. Allow the chorizos to cook on low heat. (Adding water to the lid ensures the base does not burn while cooking – it helps the contents retain moisture – something told to me by my Gran)

8.    Intermittently, carefully lift the lid, give the contents a gentle stir. If more water is needed to cook the chorizos and the potatoes, add as needed.

9.    When chorizos and potatoes are nearly done, check seasoning (salt) and add if required.

10. Cover with lid (add more water into the lid if required) and continue cooking until the potatoes and chorizos are cooked.

11. The combination comes together as a nice thick gravy which is best had with crisp brun pau or a crisp baguette. 

Chef’s Notes:

1.    In the photograph/s I have posted I used Chorizos with the casing and discarded the wrapper after cooking (and clicking - silly me! Sigh!). When I remade the dish a couple of weeks later, I remembered to do away with the wrapper and then cook the dish. Turned out way better. That is precise why the recipe tells you to snip off the wrapper and discard it.

2.    I’ve cheated with the Goan Sausage casing pics and have used the same ones I used for the Chorizo Pulao recipe. I saw no point in re-clicking and water marking the pics.

3.    Usually the spices added to the sausages suffice (for a normal palate). In case you like very spicy food you may heat a tablespoon of oil and add chili powder as desired.

4.    Please add the salt only when the chorizos are ‘nearly’ done. This will ensure you don’t add too much as most of the excess water will have dried out by this time.

5.    Please add water to the dish and to the lid as and when required to ensure the food does not burn at the base of the vessel.

6.    It’s an easy-peasy recipe; so now you know why mum gave it a try. 😉

7.  You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.