An East Indian from Malad is doing the unthinkable—introducing Goans, who take great pride in their sorpotel and ambotik, to the cuisine of her community, which is so similar, yet apart
Malad resident Keziah Correia, a former events manager, decided to open an East Indian eatery in Goa in October 2020, after she stumbled upon a Portuguese home in Siolim that was available for rent
Pilimbi Vaddo in Siolim, Goa, may have seen many a “Bomaicar”—slang for Goans from Mumbai—traverse its neighbourhood, but none like Keziah Correia. She is a Malad girl living in Goa, who digs the sorpotel, vindaloo and balchao like a pucca local. But, she is not Goan. If there is any reason she deserves the title of Bomaicar, it’s because she has brought a bit of her home city to the coastal state. On April 4, Correia, a former events manager, opened the doors to an East Indian eatery called Fugiyas Cafe & Bar, the first-of-its-kind in Goa. The café, which runs out of a traditional Portuguese home, is the perfect address to serve the food of Mumbai’s indigenous community.
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East Indians are native Christians, whose ancestors inhabited the Mumbai, Thane, Vasai, Salsette, Raigad, and Palghar islands. The community traces its roots to the 15th and 16th century, when Portuguese missionaries—just like they did in Goa—converted many locals to Roman Catholicism. Their culture, traditions, and most importantly, their food are a delightful mix of Maharashtrian and
Portuguese cuisine.
Correia, 25, says that she always dreamed of having a Balinese café in Mumbai, because she has a special fondness for Indonesia. What changed her mind was this one time, three years ago, when her mother Agnes Ferreira, wasn’t home. “I was craving a traditional East Indian meal, so I tried ordering [for it] on one of the food apps. But, to my surprise, there wasn’t a single restaurant delivering.” This was her cue to try family recipes, and invite friends over for dinner.
Correia’s cafe is named after the East Indian staple, fugiyas. The little, round, balloon bread is slightly sweet, and can be had with curries as well as dessert
The plan to start an eatery, however, didn’t take shape until the lockdown last year. “Suddenly, I had a lot of time to think, so I started doing research. But even then, I didn’t really have anything concrete in mind,” she recalls. During a chance visit to Goa in October last year, she stumbled upon a Portuguese home in Siolim that was available for rent. That’s when everything came together for her, she says.
She decided to name her cafe after the little, round balloon bread, known as fugiyas, an East Indian staple. “Fugiyas is to East Indians, what sushi is to the Japanese. It is slightly sweet, and can be had with tea, coffee, curries as well as dessert.”
The menu was planned after brainstorming by Correia and her mother, who, she says, is an excellent cook. All the dishes on the menu are traditional, heritage recipes from the Correia and Ferreira kitchens, passed down generations.
Letri is one of the heritage sweet dishes of the community, which is made with freshly grated coconut and jaggery. The dish has also inspired a cocktail drink, letri in a glass, which can be found on the menu
Most interesting is the all-day breakfast menu, which among other things, includes the staple East Indian breakfast of sorpotel with fugiyas. There is also a special pork tray (Rs 380), comprising pork curry, kadak pav, egg omelette, and pork roast. For vegetarians, Correia has included the khudi curry (Rs 220), an East Indian gravy made with bottle masala, which is served with paneer burjee, kadak pav and cutlet, and fugiyas. “I was sure that I didn’t want this place to be a restaurant. So, we created an all-day breakfast menu. While we have classic East Indian dishes, we have also included the regulars, like the English breakfast [with bacon, ham and sausages], toasts, sandwiches, and omelettes.”
What caught our attention on the menu were the mains, all creatively named. There’s Stella’s wedding invitation (Rs 380), which includes a flavourful pickled fowl curry, served with wedding rice—an aromatic rice pulao with a generous portion of cashew nuts and raisins cooked in ghee—and mutton chops. Uncle Lewis’fresh catch (Rs 390) is the traditional lonvas curry served with steamed rice. “We have only one seafood gravy on our menu; it [lonvas curry] is made with four different kinds of fish—Bombay duck, kite fish, shark, and prawns—all of which are cooked together with drumsticks. It’s a special recipe,” says Correia, who will be helping out the team in the kitchen.
The keema pav, available on the menu, is prepared with bottle masala, and served with toasted pav or poie, a traditional Goan bread
Correira’s family has been equally invested in her passion project. Her grand aunt, Anna Marie Correia, who she says, is known for her bottle masala all over Mumbai, will be preparing it in large quantities just for the café. Agnes, on the other hand, has been training the staff for the last few weeks, sharing little-known family food secrets.
The standout offering at the café is the bar menu, which has several East Indian infusions. Correia previously worked with a magazine dedicated to spirits, cocktails and fine drinking, and the experience there, helped her curate a rather unusual set of concoctions. “We have all the classic cocktails, but exclusively East Indian.” She shares how letri—one of the heritage sweet dishes of the community, which is a lot like idiyappam, but more colourful, and made with freshly grated coconut and jaggery—inspired the drink, letri in a glass. Other unusual drinks include kokum feni—made with feni, kokum syrup and jeera powder—and bloody Mary of Bandra, which has vodka with tomato juice, and black pepper and red chilli powder.
Though very recently launched, her restaurant is already making waves closer home in Mumbai. It has been nominated for the East Indian Awards 2021 scheduled for June, held by the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat. “It’s nice to see East Indian cuisine make a debut in Goa. While a lot of dishes are similar to both cultures, because of our shared Portuguese roots, our cuisine is also heavily influenced from the land we belong to. And that’s what makes our food very different.”
Fugiyas Cafe & Bar, House no 418/6, Pillimbi Vaddo Sodiem, Siolim, Siolim, Goa 403517
Call: 9619854551
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