Balchao Goan Style Recipes

GOAN PRAWN BALCHãO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Put the prawns in a large bowl and sprinkle salt on them. Set them aside.
• Using a dry pan over medium heat, toast the dried red chiles, cumin seeds, mustard seeds , cloves, and cinnamon until they begin to release their aroma. Take off from the heat and cool.
• Grind the ginger, garlic, and toasted spices into a smooth paste using the vinegar. You can do this with a small food processor or a mortar and pestle.
• Heat the oil on a medium flame in a wok -style pan or similar pan. Add the prawns and stir fry until opaque. Remove from the pan and set them aside.
• In the same pan, fry the onions until they are light brown. Add the tomato and fry until soft.
• Now add the spice-vinegar paste, sugar, and salt to taste. Fry until the oil begins to separate from the spice mixture.
• Add the prawns to this spice mixture, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with hot basmati rice.

BALCHAO GOAN STYLE

Steps:

• Put the shrimp in a large bowl and sprinkle salt on them. Set aside.
• Roast the dry red chillies, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cloves and cinnamon till they begin to release their aroma. Take off the fire and cool.
• Grind or blend the ginger, garlic and roasted spices into a smooth paste using the vinegar.
• Heat the oil on a medium heat in a wok style pan or frying pan. Add the shrimp and stir fry till opaque (1-2 min). Remove from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, fry the onions till light brown (8-10 min). Add the tomato and fry till soft.
• Add the spice-vinegar paste, sugar and salt to taste and fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Add the shrimp to this masala, mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
• Serve with piping hot, plain boiled rice.

BALCHAO MASALA

Steps:

• Pour the vinegar into a blender jar, and then add all the remaining ingredients. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, until it forms a highly pungent, reddish-brown paste.
• Store the mixture in a tightly sealed nonreactive container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

PRAWN BALCHAO (GOAN PICKLE-STYLE HOT PRAWNS)

Steps:

• Put the prawns in a large bowl and sprinkle salt on them. Keep aside.
• Roast the chillies, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, turmeric, cloves and cinnamon till they begin to release their aroma.
• Remove from heat and cool.
• Grind the ginger, garlic and roasted spices into a smooth paste using the vinegar.
• Heat the oil on a medium flame in a wok-style pan to medium-high heat.
• Add the prawns and stir fry till opaque. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
• In the same pan, fry the onions till light brown. Add the tomato and curry leaves and fry until the tomatoes are soft.
• Now add the spice-vinegar paste, sugar and salt to taste and fry till the oil begins to separate.
• Add the prawns to this sauce, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Serve with plain boiled rice and/or naan.