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A classic Goan delicacy featuring juicy prawns in a fiery, tangy, and slightly sweet masala paste. This pickle-style curry is an explosion of flavor, perfect with steamed rice or poi.
For 4 servings
Marinate and Fry the Prawns
Prepare the Balchao Masala Paste
Cook the Masala Base
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A classic Goan delicacy featuring juicy prawns in a fiery, tangy, and slightly sweet masala paste. This pickle-style curry is an explosion of flavor, perfect with steamed rice or poi.
This goan recipe takes 65 minutes to prepare and yields 4 servings. At 338.07 calories per serving with 28.34g of protein, it's a moderately challenging recipe perfect for lunch or dinner.
Combine and Finish the Curry
Replace prawns with 400g of firm tofu, paneer, or whole mushrooms. Pan-fry them first with a pinch of salt and turmeric before adding to the cooked masala.
This masala works wonderfully with firm white fish like kingfish (surmai) or pomfret. Cut into steaks, marinate and shallow fry as you would the prawns, then add to the gravy.
To significantly reduce the heat, use only Kashmiri red chilies and ensure they are completely deseeded before soaking and grinding.
Prawns are an excellent source of high-quality, low-fat protein, which is essential for muscle repair, growth, and overall body function.
The spices used, such as turmeric, ginger, and garlic, contain powerful compounds like curcumin and gingerol, which have natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
The capsaicin found in the red chilies can provide a temporary boost to your metabolism, which may aid in calorie burning.
Prawns are a good source of selenium, an important antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage and supports a healthy immune system.
One serving of Prawn Balchao contains approximately 275-300 calories, depending on the size of the prawns and the amount of oil used.
Prawn Balchao can be part of a healthy diet. Prawns are a great source of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids. However, the dish uses a moderate amount of oil and salt, so it's best enjoyed in moderation.
The most authentic substitutes are Goan toddy vinegar or palm vinegar. If unavailable, you can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but the flavor profile will be different. You may need to add a pinch more jaggery to balance the sharpness.
Balchao is traditionally a pickle-style dish, so it stores very well. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The flavor deepens and improves with time.
Absolutely. The balchao masala paste can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months, making the final cooking process much quicker.
Prawn Balchao is traditionally served with Goan bread like poi or pao, or with simple steamed rice to soak up the delicious, thick gravy. A simple salad on the side also works well.