Preserved and Pickled.
Goan-Style Pickled Prawn or Balchão.
What is Goan Cuisine?
What is Goan-Style Pickled Prawns or Balchão and it’s History?
The Goan-Style pickled Prawn is also known as “Balchão” and in Konkani it is called “Prawn Mole”. It’s a kind of pickled prawn that is partially cooked and preserves with oil and is fermented in coconut Vinegar. This method of making pickled prawns uses coconut vinegar for fermentation and contains prawns or meats. Because Goa is located in the coastal region, its cuisine is heavily influenced by seafood, which is a staple diet for the locals. The fermentation process used in Goa, namely coconut vinegar, is primarily due to the colonial influence of Portuguese colonization in this area. Coconut has had a significant impact on Goan cuisine due to its abundance and is used in a variety of dishes, such as coconut milk, coconut water, cream, oil, vinegar, etc. In this recipe, the Coconut vinegar acts as a fermenting agent and Coconut oil acts as a preserving agent so this pickle is a combination of fermentation and preserving. So Goan Pickled Prawns is a hybrid dish of Western and Indian Cuisine.
Pickles are known as “Achar” in India and Pickling in India is generally done in three basic categories: vinegar-preserved, salt-preserved, and oil-preserved there are a lot of others ways of pickling like sun-drying but these are the most common. The Oil-preserved method and sun-drying method are widely used for pickling in India. Pickling is one of the most effective methods for preserving food. The pickled food does not require refrigeration once preserved, and it travels well, making it perfect for long-distance travel. Oil is used more often in pickling in India as it helps to preserve the pickles in warm climates and vinegar may over ferment the pickle if kept in warm temperature for a longer period of time and the shelf life of the pickle is reduced and so we need to store the vinegar preserved item in a refrigerator at a cold temperature.
What’s the most unique thing about this pickle ?
The thing that I found uniques about this food is the fact that this pickle is a fusion of Indian and western cuisine and the way it reflects in the ingredients for instance the use of coconut vinegar to ferment the prawn pickle after frying it in oil and adding a spicy mixture with vinegar and cooking the prawns again. This kind of fusion in cuisine is what makes me fascinated to explore and learn more about new cuisines. And the use of two different preserving methods in one dish.
Recipe
Ingredients
Prawns (500 gms)
Red Chillies (15 to 20 pcs)
Garlic ( 12 cloves)
Onion Chopped ( 500 gm)
Ginger (1-inch piece)
Coconut Vinegar (1 1/2 cup)
Coconut Oil (6 to 9 tbsp)
Cumin Seeds ( 5 to 8 leaves)
Fresh Ground black pepper (1/2 tsp)
Cinnamon Stick (1/4 stick)
Cloves (4 pcs)
Cardamom (2 pcs)
Sugar (2 tbsp)
Salt to taste
Methodology
Pre- Cooking Preparation
- Start with soaking the Red chillies in coconut vinegar and let them soften for about 15 to 20 minutes and make sure that there is no moisture or water content in the utensils.
- Then devein the Prawns, washing them, and drying them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture content and marinate it with Salt, coconut Vinegar, and Turmeric Powder and let them marinate for 5 to 10 minutes.
Preparation
3. Start with frying the prawn on medium heat and fry the prawn until they turn nice golden in color and place them on a paper towel.
4. Take the Coconut vinegar-soaked chillies and chop them roughly, add garlic, ginger, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cumin seed and grind it using the coconut vinegar and do not use water for making chilly paste as it may reduce the shelflife of a pickle.
Cooking
5. Fine chop the onions and take a pan and add leftover coconut oil which was used for frying shrimp heat the oil.
6. Once the oil is hot add the finely chopped onions to the pan and cook it until its colour changes to a golden brown.
7. Once the onions are golden brown add the red chilly paste to the pan and cook it until it leaves the oil from the sides and then add the fried shrimps to the pan and cook it properly. Never cover and cook this pickle as the water vapours may collect on the lid and fell in the Pickle and thus reducing the shelf life of the pickle.
8. Season the pickle by adding salt and sugar after this taste the pickle and add vinegar if require and adjust the seasoning.
9. Once done let it cool down and then fill it into Mason jars and store this pickle in Refrigerator. This pickle is ready to eat but for enhanced flavours let the pickle ferment for at least 5 to 6 days in the refrigerator for the flavours to enhance.
What are the major tastes or flavors that you get in this dish that appealed to me?
There were five major that I was able to experience were Spicy, Sour, Sweet, Salty, and Umami flavours. This pickle is a mix of flavours that you can experience as you explore through it from the first bite to the last you get a plethora of flavour profiles. The first flavour that you get as soon as you have the prawn’s pickle is the sour flavour of the pungent coconut vinegar and the mild hint of coconuts as they use coconut oil and vinegar to make it and ferment the pickle. you also get a nice flavour of prawns and seafood flavours from the pickles. And as the sourness fades away you get the nice hit from the fresh spices Kashmiri red chillies, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves. It gives you that toasted roasted flavour to the dish. Apart from this the sugar gives the dish a nice sweetness and the caramelized onions as well give it some amount of sweetness. The salty taste that you get from the prawns is because they were marinated in salt, turmeric powder, and a little coconut vinegar which gives it a nice flavour profile and as this pickle ferments for a few days its acidity level reduces so there is a nice balance between all of the flavours, but it is usually a bit spicy with a nice balance between sweet and salty and the acidity from the coconut vinegar gives it a nice touch and helps in balancing the flavours and elevate this dish to next level. Prawns take it to next level as they are marinated with salt, turmeric, and vinegar and then fried it has a nice chunky mouthfeel and gives the dish a nice texture. overall it this dish has a nice flavour profile and taste.
My Sensory evaluation for the Taste, Smell, Sight, and Touch of the dish?
The most prominent taste in this pickle was of prawns, the sour flavour of coconut vinegar, the spiciness from the chillies, the balance of sweetness and saltiness, and the umami flavour from the roasted spices and the prawns. It had a nice pungent aroma coming from the pickle and the fermentation process enhanced the flavours of the roasted spices and the coconut vinegar. apart from this, there was a nice aroma of the cloves and black pepper which made it more interesting. In case of appearance the Kashmiri red chillies gave the pickle a nice bright red colour and made it more appealing and attractive. The texture of the pickle was oily and really chunky as onions were rough chopped and caramelized and added in the pickle whereas prawn gave it a nice texture and bite to the Pickle. all these components made this prawns pickle more tasty and appealing.
What will I change if I am making this pickle again?
The only thing that I will change in this pickle next time will be I will make it a bit more spicy as I really like spicy food and the fact that I made it spicy but a little more kick would take this dish to another level. Rest everything was great and the nice balance between spicy, sour, salty, and sweetness made this pickle “Finger-licking Good”. I hope that you try this pickle and hope you like it.
Until Next Time >>>
Reference
https://satnam1999-p.medium.com/sensory-evaluation-2203238d915a
