Goa is region of dazzling golden sand beaches, hidden bays and views that look as though they have just stepped out from a page of the National Geographic. It is no wonder travellers and explorers have always been drawn to this bohemian corner of India’s coast.

After a 500 year occupation, you can imagine that a little bit of Portugal remains in Goa’s identity. However, Goa has much more to offer than just spices, pork dishes and red wine curries that the Portuguese bought with them. Unlike other more landlocked landscapes in India, seafood plays an integral part in Goan cuisine.

But with the Arabian Sea on one side, a hankering for pork dishes on the other, just how can you decide what to include in your thali? Well, that is the good thing about thalis. You can include as much and as many varying dishes as you like! Here are some of our suggestions:

• Uman Curry
  No, this is not a dish named by an Uma Thurman enthusiast, but rather one of the most popular curries in this sandy region. Fry onions (in coconut oil if you are feeling extra healthy), then mix with a spice blend of coriander, cumin, turmeric, tamarind and Kashmiri chillies to create a thick, tasty gravy. Add as many chillies as you can handle and incorporate any meat or seafood (or both) of your choice.
• Fried fish
  First, choose one of Goa’s delicious seafaring friends, such as the Kingfish, Snapper or Pomfret. Then fry in a rava batter, spice with a masala blend and a squeeze of lime for optimal freshness.
• Kismur
  Kismur is what happens when you cross a plentiful ocean with beaches covered in coconuts. First, grate coconut, then mix in tawa, tamarind, dried prawns and add a sprinkling of turmeric and chilli powder.
• Vindaloo
  For the bold and the brave, mix coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, red chilies, cinnamon pods, cardamom pods and cloves. Mix the masala blend with ginger garlic paste and white vinegar, add the vegetables and meat and voila – a dish that will blow your socks off! For lovers of spice, you could also try meat dishes such as sorpotel and xacuti.
• Halva
  A sweet edition to the thali is halva, whose primary ingredients are sugar, butter and flour. Whoever it can be made with other ingredients, including sunflower seeds, nuts, beans, lentils and vegetables like carrots, yams, pumpkins and squashes depending on what nature provides. Due to its texture, it garnered the name ‘sweet meat’ by foreigners.

For a sweeter version still, make it with banana, ghee, coconut, cashew, date, pineapples or even jackfruit.

You can also try a kokum curry, a tasty vegetarian dish that acts as a digestive and cooler. And of course, no Goan thali would be complete without pickles and rice. However if you prefer to be cooked for rather than the cook, you could always visit one of London’s best Indian brasseries. They offer everything from sizzling street food, scrumptious regional dishes and gorgeous Goan delights.