Author: RB

Ingredients
1 Pomfret or other white fish, cleaned and cut into steaks.
1 coconut, grated
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic
a marble sized ball of tamarind mixed in 1 cup of water or equivalent of
‘instant’ e.g Tamcon
4 green chilies, slit lengthways
1 onion sliced
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
6 dry red chilies
1 inch piece turmeric (or 1 tsp ground)
1 raw mango, cubed
1 lemon salt to taste

Method
Sprinkle lemon juice and salt onto fish
and marinade for an hour or so. Grind the coconut, dry chilies, cumin
seeds and garlic together. Mix the onion, ginger and green chilis and
mash with the turmeric. Add the chopped mango. Add the ground masala and
1 cup of water. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Add fish and cook slowly
until the fish is done. Serve with plain boiled rice.

Ingredients
1 lb. any fleshy fish
3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 level tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper juice of
1 lime
2 Tsp fish stock
1 egg, beaten well breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Method
Clean and boil the fish in lightly salted water. Remove bones (if any) and mash
together with the potatoes,chili powder, turmeric and pepper. Add enough
lime juice and stock to moisten. Add salt if required. Form into oval rolls,
dip in the egg then coat with breadcrumbs. Deep fry until golden. A similar
dish called bombils may be made using the above method. Here bombay duck,
soaked for 1 hour and then de-boned and mashed, is used instead of the fresh
fish.

Ingredients
1/4 kg uncooked shelled prawns

8 dried Kashmiri chilies
1/2tsp cumin seeds
12 peppercorns
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
1tsp ground turmeric
2 onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
salt to taste
small amount of tamarind dissolved in a litle water
vinegar to taste

Method
Grind together the chilies, cumin, peppercorns, garlic and ginger.
Mix in the turmeric. Fry the onions in a little oil until golden brown.
Add the tomato and prawns. Fry for a minute. Add the masala, tamarind and
vinegar. Cover and cook until prawns are done.

Ingredients
1 lb. red tomatoes
1 inch piece turmeric (1tsp ground)
8 peppercorns
3 cloves
1/2 tsp cumin
1 lb. fresh uncooked prawns, cleaned and shelled
1 coconut
2 large onions, finely sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 green chilies, finely sliced

Method
Skin and chop the tomatoes then pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Grind
together the turmeric, peppercorns, cloves and cumin. Extract a thick
and thin milk from the coconut. Fry the onion, ginger, garlic and chilies
in a little oil until onions are slightly brown. Add spice mix and fry
for 30 second or so. Add the prawns (if using cooked prawns add at the
end of the cooking) and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato juice and
cook for 5 minutes. Add the thin coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes. Add
the thick coconut milk and cook until the sauce is thick. Serve with rice.

Note : I was told this may be served with roasted dried prawns, never got
to try them though.

Ingredients
1/4 kg uncooked shelled prawns
20 dried Kashmiri chilies
10 peppercorns
1 Tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
25 tomatoes, peeled and chopped milk from
1/2 a coconut
2 onions, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
4 green chilies
a few curry leaves
handful of freah coriander leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Grind the chilies, coriander, cumin and peppercorns. Fry the onions, garlic
and ginger until the onions have browned. Add the masala, fry for a minute
then add the tomatoes and curry leaves and green chilies. Cook for a minute
or so and then add the prawns and coconut milk and fresh coriander. Cook
on a low heat until sauce has thickened.

The sauce used for this is just a plain old bechemel, with the addition
of a good dose of ground black pepper.
Ingredients
1 lb. any fleshy fish – fillets of steaks
1 onion finely sliced
1 large tomato finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 piece ginger, finely chopped
4 peppercorns
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mild vinegar

Method
Fry the sliced ingredients until the onion browns. Add one or two cups of water
and the peppercorns.

Bring to the boil and add the fish and vinegar.

Gently simmer until the fish is done. Serve with your own favorite bechemel.

Ingredients
12 limes
2 pods garlic
4 inch piece ginger
8 green chilies
1 Tsp chili powder
12 Tsp sugar
1 cup vinegar

Method
Clean the limes and chop into smallish pieces, removing the seeds. Keep any lime
juice that collects whilst chopping.

Finely slice the garlic, ginger and chilies.

Mix together all the ingredients except the vinegar.

Cook over a low heat until mixture is thick. Add the vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cool and bottle. Eat after 3-4 weeks.

Many Asian countries have a balchao type preserve. It is used either
in the preparation of other dishes ;- see Balchao de peixe (fish balchao)
and Balchao de porco (pork balchao), or served as an accompaniment to other
dishes. For a fresh balchao, i.e. one you are not going to bottle

Ingredients
:
1/4 Kg prawns (shelled)
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp peppercorns
10 Kashmiri chilies
vinegar to taste
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 cups oil
4 medium onions, minced
handful of curry leaves
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 heads of garlic, finely chopped
4 green chilies, seeded and chopped
salt to taste

Method
Grind together the cumin, peppercorns and chilies with the vinegar.
Mix in the turmeric. Fry the onions in the oil until all the water have
gone. Add the prawns, masala, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
Simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Ingredients
1 lb. lean lamb
1 lb. pork

Thin slices fresh ginger
2 Tabl. ghee or oil
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 fresh red or green chilies, seeded
1 Tabl. ground cumin
2 Tabl. black mustard seed, ground
2 tsp. chili powder or to taste

2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Method
Cut both meats into cubes and thread on bamboo skewers alternately with thin
slices of tender ginger.

Heat ghee or oil in a saucepan and fry the onion, garlic, chilies until
onion is soft and golden brown. Add the ground spices and continue stirring and frying for 1 minute.

Add vinegar, water, salt and pepper. Let the mixture come to the boil, then put in skewers of meat, turn to coat in the spice mixture, cover and cook on very low heat until meat is tender.

Stir and turn kebabs once or twice during cooking. When meat is tender, cook, uncovered, until gravy is thickened and dark.

Serve with white rice and accompaniments.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
6 fillets or steaks of any firm fish
1 onion oil for shallow

frying
2 Tsp balchao paste Masala mix :-
20 dry Kashmiri chilies
5 peppercorns
10 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece turmeric (or
1/2 tsp ground)
3 cloves small
piece of cinnamon bark (about 1/2 inch)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Method
Grind together the masala mix in enough vinegar to give a thick paste.
Fry the onions until brown, add the masala and fry for about 5 minutes
over a low heat. Add the balchao and continue to cook. In a separate pan
fry the fish slightly. Add the masala/onion mixture to the fish, adding
a little water if the paste is too thick. Simmer until the fish is cooked.
Serve with plain boiled rice.