Prawn Balchao

If you ever visit Goa and possess healthy appetite then you must enjoy the local traditional food stuff.

Prawn Balchao is one of the famous dishes of Goan Cuisine. Its taste is hot and fiery, add more spices and you can use it as pickle. Prawn Balchao mostly goes with boiled rice or bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg prawns

4 big tomatoes, fine chopped or paste

4 Onions, fine chopped

1 tiny bunch of curry leaves

3-4 green chillies, fine chopped

little bit sugar

few drips of vinegar

salt, to taste

little bit of turmeric powder

50 ml coconut oil

For paste:

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1-2 tsp cumin seeds

2" cinnamon stick

4-5 cloves

1-2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

2-3 dry red chillies

1 tbsp vinegar

1 pinch turmeric powder

Method:

1. Rub some salt and turmeric powder on prawns and leave them aside for 5-10 minutes. It helps getting rid of that awful-raw-seafood smell.

2. Wash the prawns gently and thoroughly and put them in colander.

3. Meanwhile make the paste of above written ingredients and mix it well with the prawns

4. Now heat the oil in a pan. Here it is essential to use coconut for cooking South Indian/Goan dishes to give them authentic flavor.

5. Add curry leaves and saute for some seconds, followed by chopped onions. Wait till they become golden brown.

6. Add tomato paste and cook till the oil starts separating from the mixture.

7. Add prawns along with its mixture and stir gently, followed by sugar, salt and vinegar.

8. Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes on low flame.

9. Garnish with roasted curry leaves and serve with boiled white rice or bread.