Prawn balchão

Goan Portuguese spiced prawn pickle-curry with tomato, vinegar and dried chilli

Origin: Goa, Estado da India (Portuguese India)

From the journey of Tomato.

Balchão is one of the oldest and most distinctive preparations of Goan Catholic cooking: a fiery, sour, deeply spiced prawn pickle-curry that shows the full complexity of the Portuguese-Indian culinary fusion at its most successful. The word balchão derives from the Malay belachan (shrimp paste), carried to Goa via Portuguese trading networks from Southeast Asia, and the preparation fuses that Southeast Asian shrimp paste tradition with Goan coconut vinegar, Kashmiri chilli, and the tomato introduced by the Portuguese from the New World. The result is a dish that is simultaneously a curry, a pickle, and a condiment; kept for days and improving with time, used to enliven rice and bread. It is the taste of Goa: colonial, syncretic, and entirely unlike anything else in Indian cooking.

Ingredients

Main

  • 500 g large prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil or neutral oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

Masala paste

  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cm fresh ginger
  • 8 dried Kashmiri chillies, soaked in warm water
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 0.5 tsp turmeric
  • 4 tbsp coconut vinegar or white wine vinegar

Method

  1. Blend the garlic, ginger, soaked Kashmiri chillies, cumin, peppercorns, turmeric, and vinegar to a smooth paste.
  2. Heat coconut oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Fry the sliced onions until deep golden; about 12 minutes. Do not rush this.
  3. Add the masala paste and fry, stirring constantly, for 5–6 minutes until the oil separates and the paste turns deep brick-red.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Cook down until the tomatoes completely break down and the mixture is thick and dark; about 10 minutes.
  5. Add the prawns and toss to coat. Cook for 3–4 minutes only; just until the prawns are pink and cooked through. Overcooked prawns are rubbery.
The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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