Balchão - Misplaced Pages

Indian dish with a spicy and sour sauce Not to be confused with Balichão.

Balchão
Goan calamari balchao with parboiled rice
Alternative names	Balichow
Type	Sauce or curry
Place of origin	Portugal
Region or state	Goa, Malvan
Main ingredients	Fish, prawns, or pork
Media: Balchão

Balchão, or balichow, is a Goan dish consisting of fresh fried prawns in a spicy and vinegary sauce.

Ingredients

Balchão is a method of cooking fish (de peixe), prawns (de camarão), or pork (de porco) in a spicy and sour tomato-chili sauce. It resembles pickling and can be made days in advance, then served without heating. Some Goans make prawn balchão in tamarind sauce.

Traditional balchão uses a paste made from dried shrimp known as galmbo in Konkani.

Its ingredients may include prawns, oil, onions chopped fine, tomatoes, garlic paste or cloves, ginger paste or ginger, dried red chillies, cumin seed, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, vinegar and salt.

Preparation

Ginger, garlic and roasted spices are ground into a paste with the vinegar. The prawns are fried in oil until opaque and removed from the pan. Then onions and tomatoes are fried, and the spice-vinegar paste, sugar, and salt are added. This is fried until the oil begins to separate from the masala. The prawns are then added back, and the combination is cooked a few more minutes.

Balchão is usually served with plain hot boiled rice. It keeps well under refrigeration.

History

Balchão was introduced to Goa by the Portuguese during Portuguese Goa, most likely from Malacca (today Melaka).

Preparation

Catholic homes may use coconut vinegar for its acidic sharpness, while Hindu families may use cane vinegar to make it milder. It is now common to use white vinegar or malt vinegar.

References

Thomas, Amelia; Karafin, Amy (2009). Goa & Mumbai (5 ed.). London: Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-894-0.
Kamat, Raksha. "Goan Prawn Balchao | Prawn Pickle Goan Style + Video". Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^ "Pickle Style Dry Goan Prawns". The Spruce Eats. Retrieved 17 October 2018.

v t e Shrimp and prawn as food
List of shrimp dishes
Bagoong Balao-balao Balchão Binte biluhuta Biyaring Cahuamanta Camaron rebosado Char kway teow Cincalok Dancing shrimp Dobin mushi Dried shrimp Drunken shrimp Dynamite roll Eating live shrimp Fried shrimp Fried shrimp cake Ginataang hipon Ginataang kalabasa Gumbo Hae mee Halabos na hipon Har gow Kaeng som Linapay Longjing prawns Mee bandung Muar Moon shrimp cake Nilasing na hipon Pininyahang hipon Potted shrimps Prawn cocktail Prawn cracker Prawn roll Saeujeot Sambal shrimp Sarsa na uyang Sesame shrimp Shrimp cocktail Shrimp creole Shrimp DeJonghe Shrimp mix Shrimp on the barbie Shrimp paste Shrimp roe noodles Shrimp toast Suam na mais Vatapá White boiled shrimp

Indian dishes

North

Mughlai	Mughlai kabab Keema matar Mughlai paratha Murgh musallam Nihari Pasanda Rezala
Rajasthani	Bati Bikaneri bhujia Churma Dal badam chakki Dal bati Dal bati churma Kanda kachori Laal maans Mirchi bada Panchratna dal
Punjabi	Makki ki roti Pinni Sarson ka saag Tandoori chicken
Kashmiri	Noon chai Rogan josh Shab deg
Uttar Pradeshi	Peda Petha
Other	Aloo gobhi Aloo mutter Baingan bharta Barfi (kaju barfi/kaju katli) Bhatura Butter chicken Chana masala Chapati Chicken tikka Chole bhature Dal makhani Dum aloo Dopiaza Egg curry Haleem Jeera aloo Kachori Kadai chicken Kadhi Kahwah Keema Khichra Khichdi Kulcha Korma Kulfi Lassi Matar paneer Mutton curry Naan Palak paneer Pakora Paneer tikka Raita Rajma Rumali roti Sai bhaji Shahi paneer Shami kebab Paneer tikka masala

South

Hyderabadi	Baghaar-e-baingan Chakna Double ka meetha Hyderabadi biryani Hyderabadi haleem Hyderabadi marag Lukhmi Mirchi ka salan Osmania biscuit
Karnataka	Benne dose Bisi bele bath Masala dosa Mysore pak
Kerala	Appam (pesaha appam) Aviyal Sadya Chicken Chettinad Bonda Idiyappam Puttu Thalassery biryani Parotta Pathiri Kozhukkatta Kerala beef fry Malabar matthi curry
Other	Aavakaaya Adhirasam Ariselu Bhaji Chicken 65 Chitranna Curd rice Dahi chutney Dopiaza Dosa Fish moolie Idli Injipuli Jigarthanda Kaalan Kakinada Kaja Kanji Koottu Kuzhambu Murukku Pachadi Palathalikalu Paniyaram Parotta Paruppusilli Pesarattu Payasam Pootharekulu Pongal Ponganalu Poriyal Pulihora Rasam Rice and curry Sakinalu Sambar Sevai Ulava charu Upma Uttapam Vada

West

Gujarati	Dhokla Doodhpak Handvo Khakhra Undhiyu
Maharashtrian	Kombdi vade Misal Thalipeeth Vada pav Veg kolhapuri
Other	Akuri Basundi Bhakri Bhel puri Bombil fry Chinese bhel Chivda Chouriço Dahi vada Dhansak Kadboli Khatkhate Khandvi Khichdi Kuswar Misal pav Pav bhaji Patoleo Patra ni machhi Pohe Sabudana khichri Sanna Sarapatel Sev puri Shrikhand Solkadhi Vindaloo Xacuti

East

Bengali	Aloo chap Beguni Chomchom Chhenabara Chingri malai curry Chorchori Daab chingri Doi Mishti doi Nabadwip-er lal doi Jalfrezi Jolbhora Indian Chinese cuisine Kati roll Kosha mangsho Kheer Khicuṛi Luchi Machher Jhol Malpua Manohara Mihidana Nikhunti Panta bhat Pantua Paturi Payesh Pitha Radhaballavi Rasgulla Ras malai Roshkodom Sandesh Sarbhaja Sarpuria Sitabhog Shorshe ilish Shukto
Odia	Chandrakanti Chaṛachaṛi Chhena gaja Chhena jalebi Chhena jhili Chhena kheeri Chhena poda Chingudi jhola Dahi baigana Dahi machha Dahibara aludam Enduri pitha Ghuguni Kakara pitha Kanika Khira sagara Khiri Maachha bihana Manda pitha Ou khatta Pakhala Pitha Arisa pitha Chakuli pitha Podo pitha Rasabali Rasgulla Santula Mathapuli
Bihari	Litti Ghugni Sattu Khaja Champaran meat Laddu Tilkut Anarsa Regional (Bhojpuri, Maithil, Magahi)

Miscellaneous

Indian diaspora

Category

Cuisine of India

Regional cuisines

North India	North Indian cuisine Awadhi Braj Bhojpuri Punjabi Haryanvi Kumauni Mughlai Kashmiri Rajasthani Marwari (Jain) Uttar Pradeshi Pashtun
South India	South Indian cuisine Andhra Chettinadu Karnataka Kerala Tamil Hyderabadi Udupi Mangalorean Mangalorean Catholic Saraswat
East India/North East India	Bihari Bhojpuri Maithil Magahi Angika Bengali Odia Jharkhandi Assamese Sikkimese Arunachali Meghalayan Tripuri Manipuri Naga Nepali
West India	West Indian cuisine Goan Gujarati Marathi Konkani Koli Agri Malvani Sindhi Parsi Pashtun
Other	Jain (Satvika) Anglo-Indian Fast food Indian Chinese Indian Indonesian Indian Singaporean Malaysian Indian Mauritian Thai Balinese

Ingredients / types of food

Preparation and cooking

Related cuisines

Ingredients

Preparation

History

Preparation

See also

References