Prawn Balchao
This fiery red Goan prawn pickle is so finger licking good, that you cannot stop eating it
Servings 1 cup
Ingredients
For prawns
- 250 g cleaned and deveined prawns
- ¼ tsp salt
- a pinch of turmeric powder
For balchao masala
- 8 nos Kashmiri chillies(12 g)
- 3 cloves garlic(8 g)
- 1 piece ginger(4 g)
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seed/methi
- 1 piece cinnamon
- 4 nos cloves
- a small pea sized ball of tamarind(6 g)
- ½ cup Apple cider vinegar(ACV)
Rest of the ingredients
- 2 big onions (130 g)
- 2 cloves garlic (6 g)
- 1 piece ginger (3 g)
- a few curry leaves
- 6 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp ACV
- 1 tbsp jaggery/sugar(or as needed)
- ¼ tsp hing/asafoetida
- a pinch of turmeric
- salt as needed
Instructions
- Clean the prawns, devein, wash & chop into small pieces. Marinate in the salt and turmeric powder for 15 - 30 minutes.
- Dry roast the spices given in the balchao masala from pepper to cloves and grind with the chillies, ginger, garlic, tamarind and ACV.
- Thinly slice the onions, ginger and garlic. In a wide mouthed pan dry fry the onions for a minute or two. Then add 2 tbsp of oil, the ginger garlic and curry leaves. Fry well and keep aside.
- In the same pan add another 2 tbsp of oil and shallow fry the prawns, till the prawns slightly brown and all the water evaporates. Transfer to a plate.
- Now add back the fried onion mixture to the pan, and fry for a few more minutes. Add the ground balchao masala and saute well.
- Add 2 more tbsp of ACV to thin out the gravy, salt as needed, jaggery, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
- Mix well and add the fried prawns. As the water dries out add two more tbsp of oil. Cook till it oozes out oil.
- Cool down completely, before transferring to an airtight container, preferably glass.