Prawn Balchao

Ingredients
1 kg fine shrimp (known as “galmbo”; in Konkani)
1 bottle palm “feni” (drinking it is a favourite Goan pastime
1 pod garlic
12 peppercorns
6 dry red chilies
3 Tsp. salt
2 clean dry empty bottles

Method
Clean the shrimp thoroughly, wash and tie in a muslin cloth. Allow to
hang for about 12 hours till all the water has drained out.

Sqeeze out any water that may be left. Grind the shrimps,salt, garlic and peppercorns with palm feni only.

Mix dry chilies (whole). If any feni is left, it may be added to the shrimp paste. Fill in the bottle and cap tightly.

7 thoughts on “Prawn Balchao”

  1. I am tying to find the correct spelling of a very sour indian fruit or vegetable which sounds like “Bimbalee”. We used to eat them raw (as children) with salt and chilly powder. We also used them when we made prawn balchao. This fruit or vegetable looks like a very small cucumber (about 5 – 10 cm long) is pale yellow and EXTREMELY sour. Thank you.

  2. Hi,
    Priya got it all wrong she’s talking apples and oranges here,never mind anyway nobody is perfect.
    The bimblim or bimbalee is the member of the star fruit family its not vegetable realy but can be cooked as a vegetable or made as a condiment ie pickle can be dried to preserve to be used later to flavour curries and also as you said for prawn balchao but the balchao will not keep for long because the bimblee consists of 90% water, I don’t know what they call it in english,but I hope to find out soon.
    regards
    jose

  3. You Guys,
    The “Bimblim”,”Bimbalee” or whatever you wish to call it is, in fact a fruit. Though not the scientific name, in English it is referred to as “Monkey Tamarind”. In Kanada, Coorg to be precise, it is known as “Kachimpudee”. In Goa the fruit is dried and sold as so in the markets. The Coorgi’s make the “Kachimpudee” sauce and it is a must in preparing “Coorgi Pundi Curry”, “Pundi” being the Pig so pork! The Bimalee fruit imparts an excellent flavour to fish curries with a sour tinge.

  4. You Guys,
    The “Bimblim”,”Bimbalee” or whatever you wish to call it is, in fact a fruit. Though not the scientific name, in English it is referred to as “Monkey Tamarind”. In Kanada, Coorg to be precise, it is known as “Kachimpudee”. In Goa the fruit is dried and sold as so in the markets. The Coorgi’s make the “Kachimpudee” sauce and it is a must in preparing “Coorgi Pundi Curry”, “Pundi” being the Pig so pork! The Bimalee fruit imparts an excellent flavour to fish curries with a sour tinge.

  5. By the way, bimbli is not at all tamarind. The pickle is delicious. It does look like a mini cucumber and is used for making curries. They are delicious!!!!

  6. Hi, btw the “bimbalee” is actually not a member of the star fruit as some might have it, rather it is the star fruit in india. It’s known by the local name given to it. And yes, it’s very sour and citric to taste. Not my favourite though. It is used plentifully in dishes along the konkan coast and down south. Also , a lot of it is still available on the little hand carts in Mumbai.

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