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Goan baath
Semolina and coconut cake
Semolina and fresh coconut cake rested overnight
From Margao to Mapusa, Goan Catholic families start baath a day early: semolina, fresh coconut, sugar and butter are rubbed together and left overnight so the grains drink up the coconut milk. The next morning eggs go in and the cake is baked until brown and fragrant, ready for the Christmas kuswar plate alongside bebinca and neureos, or cut into diamonds for a wedding. The crust is crisp and caramelised; the inside is dense, moist and chewy with coconut, scented with cardamom and sometimes a little rose water. Desiccated coconut is the common shortcut and the common mistake: it makes a dry, crumbly baath, so use fresh or frozen grated coconut. Chef's tip: bake it in a heavy metal tin and do not open the oven for the first 40 minutes; the slow, steady heat gives the dark crust without a raw middle.
- Total time
- 660 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the mix (the night before)
- 9 oz fine semolina (rava)
- 9 oz fresh grated coconutor frozen, thawed
- 9 oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ oz buttersoftened, or ghee
For baking
- 4 eggsseparated
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp rose water (optional)
- ⅓ oz butterfor the tin
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz fine semolina (rava), 9 oz fresh grated coconut and 9 oz caster sugar in a large bowl. Rub in 3 ½ oz butter with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.
Step 2: Cover and leave overnight in the fridge (at least 8 hours). The grains will soften and the mix will feel moist and clumpy.
600 minStep 3: Take the bowl out an hour before baking. Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan) and butter a 22 cm round metal tin with ⅓ oz butter, then line the base.
60 minStep 4: Beat the yolks from 4 eggs with 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 tsp rose water, then stir them into the semolina mix with 1 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt to make a thick batter.
Step 5: Whisk the whites to soft peaks and fold them in, in two lots, until no streaks remain.
Step 6: Spread in the tin and level the top. Bake for 55–65 minutes without opening the door for the first 40, until deep brown on top, pulling away from the sides, and a skewer comes out clean.
60 minStep 7: Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out. Cut into squares or diamonds. It keeps for a week in a tin and gets moister.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does goan baath take?
- About 660 minutes in total: 600 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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