Prawn Balchao is a tangy and spicy dish that have its origins in Goa. Prawns are stir-fried first and then added to a pickled curry sauce to create a dish that makes your taste buds tingle and leaves you asking for more.  This Seafood dish is pickled in a spicy and tangy tomato-vinegar based sauce.  My version of cooking Prawn Balchao.  Amazing dish to cook at home.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Fresh Prawns – net 750 gms – after removing head, shell and de-veining it. Clean with water and drain all the water.
  • Hot Red Chilli – 5 pieces.  Soak them in little warm water.
  • Kashmiri Red Chilli (for colour) – 5 pieces.  Soak them in little warm water.
  • Onion – 2 medium size.  Thinly sliced.  Fry them in hot oil and brown them. Remove it from oil.  Cool it. Keep it aside.
  • Balsemic Vinegar – 4 tbs.
  • Red Wine – 4 tbs.
  • Dried Coconut – Half a cup.  Thinly chopped.
  • Sugar – 1 tsp.
  • Kokum (Garcinia) – 3 piece.
  • Ginger – 2 inch size.  Roughly chopped.
  • Garlic – 12 to 15 cloves. Roughly chopped.
  • Ajwain (Carom Seeds) – 1 tsp.
  • Dhaniya (Coriander) seeds – 2 tbs.
  • Dal Chini (Cinnamon stick) – 2 inch size.
  • Chakri Phool (Star Anise) – 1 piece.
  • Salt to taste. 
  • Kadipatta (Curry Leaves) – 10 petals.
  • Jeera (Cummin seeds) – 1 tbs.
  • Badi Elaichi (Black Cardamom) – 1 piece.
  • Choti Elaichi (Green Cardamom) – 3 pieces.
  • Lawang (Cloves) – 4 pieces.
  • Kali Miri (Black Pepper) – 10 seeds.
  • Tej Patta (Bay Leaves) – 2 leaves.
  • Fresh Haldi (Tumeric) – 2 inch size.  (Haldi powder can be used if fresh haldi is not available)
  • Cashew Nuts – Half a cup.  Dry roast them until it becomes light brown.  Grind them finely by adding water and bring it into a consistency of thick cashew nut milk. Keep it aside.
  • Onion – 2 large size.  Grind them into a fine paste.  Keep it aside.
  • Tomato – 1 medium size. Grind them into a fine paste.  Keep it aside.
  • Butter – 4 tbs.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 2 tbs.
  • Fresh Coriander Leaves – a small bunch.  Finely chopped.

Method:

  • Take a mixing bowl.  Add prawns, half tsp of haldi powder, half tsp of salt, 1 tsp of lime juice, and mix them well.  Allow it marinate for atleast 30 minutes. This is first marination.
  • To prepare spicy and tangy Balchao Masala – Take a mixer grinder.  Add Fried Brown Onions, Soaked Hot Red Chilli with its water, Soaked Kashmiri Red Chilli with it’s water, Balsemic Vinegar, Red Wine, Dried Coconut, Sugar, Kokum, Ginger, Garlic, Ajwain, Dhaniya, Dal Chini, Chakri Phool, Salt to taste, half of the Kadipatta, Jeera, Badi Elaichi,  Choti Elaichi, Lawang, Kali Miri, Tej Patta, Fresh Haldi, little water, and grind them into a fine paste.  
  • For second marination of Prawns – Take 1/4th of the above grinded Balchao masala paste and add it to Prawns.  Mix them well  so that the masalas coat properly on all Prawns.  Leave it to marinate in fridge for atleast one hour.
  • Take a frying pan.  Add one tbs of butter and one tbs of extra virgin olive oil. Heat it up.
  • Once the butter/oil is heated up, carefully place the Prawns on the hot pan and half cook them on both sides on high flame until you see light brown colour on both sides of Prawns. Remove it from the pan and keep it aside.
  • Take a Kadai or deep Pan.  Add remaining butter and extra virgin olive oil. Heat it up.
  • Add remaining Kadipatta to the hot butter/oil.  Stir for few seconds.
  • Add finely grinded onion paste in to the Kadai.  Stir it well and cook the onion until it turns golden brown and releases oil on the surface.  Fry Onion on high flame.
  • Add finely grinded tomato paste in to the Kadai. Mix it well.   Cook the tomato paste on high flame until you see oil again on the surface.
  • Add grinded Balchao Masala paste in to the Kadai.  Mix it well.  Keep stiring it and cook the masalas on high flame until you see oil released on the surface. Add little water if Masalas are sticking or burning.
  • Add half cooked Prawns in to the Kadai.  Stir them properly and cook the Prawns on high heat along with the Balchao Masala for 4 to 5 minutes.  Add little water so that the Prawns are cooked in Balchao Masalas nicely.
  • Add Cashew Nut milk or thin paste in to the Kadai.  Mix them well.  Turn the flame to slow.
  • Cover the Kadai with a lid.  Allow it to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes with lid covered on slow flame.
  • After 5 to 7 minutes, add chopped fresh coriander leaves and mix them well. Turn off the flame.
  • Prawn Balchao is ready to be served.  Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves before serving hot.
  • Prawn Balchao goes well with Steamed Rice or it can be even eaten with Roti or Paratha or Naan.
  • Happy Eating.