Balchao Masala Recipes

Goa is a total bliss when it comes to sea food lovers. Most restaurants get their fresh catch every day, which gets showcased right at their entrance. Customers are free to pick and choose from the display, that later gets served at their dinner table. One such dish which I always relish at my favourite restaurant in Goa is the Prawn Balchao. My colleagues love the prawn masala used in this one as the dish is a mixture of sweet, spice and sourness. The unique ingredient that makes the prawn even more delectable is the Goan Toddy Vinegar - one can get this in the Saturday Mapusa Market. Its like the Mecca for all the spices, fresh smoked sausages and pastes that the Goans use in their day to day cooking. There are many variations to this dish, some make it like a semi gravy similar to how this recipe does while others pickle the prawn. But the taste pretty much remains the same no matter the type of preparation, although the later one is more tangier due to the pickling process. Serve hot Prawn Balchao with phulka or simple rice of your choice with a nice tall glass of chilled beer. If you like this recipe, you can also try Prawns Pulao Rava Fried Prawns Prawns Fried Rice

Provided by jyothi varne

Time 45m

Yield Makes: 8 Servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

• Ingredients

Prawn balchão is a fiery dish from Goa in coastal western India and is much like a pickle. Do as the Goans do and serve it with hot plain boiled rice.

Provided by Petrina Verma Sarkar

Categories     Lunch     Dinner     Entree

Time 1h20m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 14

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : Calories 273 kcal, Carbohydrate 23 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Fiber 4 g, Protein 4 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, Sodium 441 mg, Sugar 14 g, Fat 19 g, ServingSize 4 servings, UnsaturatedFat 0 g

A pickle-like blend of ingredients called _balchao_, is crucial to many of Portuguese Goa's meat dishes, and usually incorporates Goa's other passion, _feni_, a potent alcoholic brew made from either cashew nuts or palm fruit. Also omnipresent in Goan dishes is the highly acidic _feni_ vinegar, which reduces the potency of dried red chiles-as does tart tamarind, another key element in this layered, complex, and fiery-hot paste that peppers its way into many of Goa's curries. Unfortunately, neither the alcohol nor the vinegar is available outside of India (maybe even outside of Goa), and so my offering is devoid of both. Nonetheless, it is very flavorful, with cider or malt vinegar standing in as a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Provided by Raghavan Iyer

Yield Makes 1/2 cup

Number Of Ingredients 10

• Ingredients