Goan Grace: Try This Prawn Balchao Recipe To Savour The Taste Of Goa

Sitting by the beach with a tall glass of beer and a spicy prawn side dish while basking in the afternoon sun! Sounds fascinating, right? Well, that’s Goa for you. Booze, buoyancy and blasting-with-flavour food- Goa will provide you with all three of these. Goa is a paradise for seafood flavours. From prawns to crabs to giant kingfishes, the state serves a variety of seafood with an amalgamation of unique flavours and textures. We have brought to you a traditional prawn dish from Goa which will fill your palate with spicy, seafood goodness and take it right to the beach-side restaurants of Goa. Check it out!

Preparation time- 20 minutes

Serving- 9

Calories- 293 kcal approx.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg de-veined prawns

• 3 onions, chopped

• 2 tomatoes, chopped

• 2 tbsp curry leaves

• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

• 10-12 dry red chillies

• 3-4 whole black peppercorns

• 1 tsp cumin seeds 

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1-inch cinnamon stick 

• 4-5 cloves

• 1 tsp vinegar

• Salt, according to taste

• Oil (as required)

METHOD

1. Clean the prawns in a large bowl of water or under running water; strain them out.

2. Marinate the prawns in salt and turmeric powder to remove the seafood smell from them. 

3. Add some oil to a pan and saute the prawns in batches for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the prawns from the pan and drain the extra oil with absorbent paper. 

4. Dry roast the chillies, pepper, cumin, cloves and cinnamon for a minute or so. Grind them to a fine paste by adding ginger-garlic paste, vinegar and water. 

5. In a pan, heat some oil and fry the onions till they are golden brown and translucent. 

6. Next, add the tomatoes and the curry leaves and cook till they are mushy. 

7. Add the spice paste cook till the raw smell disappears. 

8. Once the mixture is cooked, add the prawns along with sugar and cook till there is no water left. 

9. Bring it to a gravy consistency and check for spice levels; adjust accordingly. 

10. Remove the gravy from heat and voila!

Prawns Balchao is usually served with plain rice or roti. It is also served as a side dish to be munched along with beer. You can serve it with flatbreads of your choice and rice. Try this recipe to savour the flavours of Goa while sitting at your home.