The peri-peri chicken of Goa is named after the piri-piri or bird’s eye chilli, brought to Goa by the Portuguese from South America. They also planted it in Mozambique and Angola and it now thrives in many parts of Africa. The Goans, however, changed the style of the original peri-peri chicken which was simply cooked in a paste of crumbled red chillies, lime juice and lots of garlic. To make a traditional Indian peri-peri paste is very time consuming, so here is a simplified recipe which would be to a Goan absolute taboo … but it works!
The same chilli is also the base for the famed Goan pork vindaloo, derived from another Portuguese dish of meat and wine (which evolved into vinegar and then the spices, including the fiery chillies, added).