Prawn Balchao

Christmas spirit lingers on, with yet another Goan Dish. This dish is complimentary to the Goan Poi bread that we presented the other day on Garam Tawa.

A popular traditional Goan dish, Balchao is hot sweet and pungent in taste. It has a prime place in Goan cuisine. Martin's shack off Miramar beach in Panjim used to serve the best Prawn Balchao in the Nineties before the authorities closed down the shack. Now there's a world famous Martin's Corner at Salcette Goa but I don't know if it belongs to the same people. 

Whatever, I am very fond of Prawn Balchao and Pomfret Recheado, both made with similar masala. Later in the Nineties, I watched Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's Khaana Khazana program on TV and made it first. This recipe is sourced from Sanjeev Kapoor's website, as published in his Konkan Cookbook. This is best savoured with Goan Poi bread and of course with a pick me up like fine Goan Fenny, cocktails or mocktails. 

Ingredients:
Prawns (medium) shelled and headless - 600 Gms
Salt - To taste
Ginger - 2" piece roughly chopped 
Garlic - 15-20 Cloves roughly chopped 
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Dried Red Chillies - 12-15 
Cloves - 10-12 
Cinnamon - 2" stick
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Malt Vinegar - 1 Cup
Oil - 3/4 Cup
Onions - 2 big finely chopped
Tomatoes - 4 big chopped 
Sugar - 2 Tbsp

Method:
De-vein the prawns. Wash thoroughly and remove excess water. 
Add salt and keep aside. 
Grind the ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, red chillies, cloves, cinnamon and mustard seeds along with vinegar into a fine paste.
Heat the oil in a non stick pan and sauté the prawns till all the moisture dries up. 
Drain the prawns and set aside. 
In the same oil sauté the onions till they turn soft and light brown.
Add the tomatoes and sauté on high heat till they turn pulpy and the oil surfaces. 
Add the ground masala and sauté for two to three minutes. 
Add the sugar and prawns.
Check the seasoning and cook on low heat for five to seven minutes more or till the oil leaves the masala.
Sprinkle little water if you want the masala to be slightly more moist(This is my addition).
Once almost dry, transfer to a serving dish. 
Serve hot with Goan Poi bread/Paav or with boiled rice.

Recipe courtesy: http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipe/Prawn-Balchao-Konkan-Cookbook.html 

Note: The same Balchao masala paste is used to make Pomfret Recheado.

Grilled Chicken and Veg Frankies

In the year 1981, I was taking a stroll one late evening with my cousin Premakar near Krishna Rao Park in Basavangudi Bangalore. Both of us being foodies, we didn't fail to catch the aroma of something being roasted on the tawa in a compound. Thought a private barbecue party is going on, but there was total silence. Out of curiosity, we went near the compound wall and found a small plywood board hanging below a fluorescent light with the name 'Lalli's Eat Out' written with chalk on that!

We saw a lady preparing something on a charcoal stove across the compound wall within a small canopy built on 4 pillars. Saw a small list pasted on one pillar with half a dozen items. We asked the lady what all items are available. She said for the moment she had only FRANKIES. We asked her what they are. She said stuffed chapathi rolls. We tried that. It was nothing but potato bhaji stuffing that we make for Masala Dosa she had stuffed into those chapathis, heated them on the tawa, wrapped them in tissue paper and served with mint chutney and ketchup for which she charged Rs.6/- each. We were shocked to see the price, for those days a masala dosa in any good restaurant cost less than Rs.4/-. Feeling cheated, we left the place with a heavy heart.

Frankies are usually made as chapathi rolls stuffed with some dry veg or meat curry. We found an easy and tasty Indo-West recipe that's a sure hit with the younger generation. That is Grilled Chicken and Veg Frankies. Then again, those who don't eat chicken can substitute that with paneer or mushroom. This is a good party snack. Surprise your guests with this delicious and wholesome dish!
You may use the OTG or Tawa Grill but we used the Sanjeev Kapoor Tandoor for grilling the rolls.
 
Ingredients:
Shredded boneless Chicken - 1 Cup
Sliced Onion - 1
Shredded Cabbage - 2 Leaves
Shredded Carrot - 1
Shredded Green/Red/yellow Bell Peppers - 1/4 cup
Sweet Corn - 1/2 Cup
Chopped Garlic - 4 cloves
Grated Ginger - 1/2 Tsp
Salt and Pepper
Butter - QS
Chilli flakes - 1 Tsp
Tomato Ketchup - QS
Oregano - A pinch
Dry Chapathis - 4-6
Oil - 1 Tsp
Diluted White Vinegar - 1/2 Tsp

Method:
Marinate shredded chicken with salt, pepper and vinegar.
Heat oil in a wok. Add chopped garlic and grated ginger. Add the marinated chicken.
Saute well on high heat till chicken is golden and cooked.
Add shredded onion and cabbage. Fry till transparent and crisp.
Add the other veggies and saute well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Switch off the flame and sprinkle chilli flakes and oregano.
Mix well and allow to stand for a few minutes.
Heat the grill.
Apply little butter on each chapathi followed by 1 tsp ketchup, place a tablespoonful of the curry on it, roll and grill till slightly browned.
Cut into 3-4 pieces and serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.

Note: You may also apply cheese spread instead of butter on the chapathis.

Idlizza

The name may seem familiar, for many have come out with this dish in the recent past. However, our experiment dates back to year 2007 when we used to make pizza at home regularly and I told Meena, why not experiment with left over idli batter and make Idli Pizza?

We succeeded in making it with Idli batter made into a thick dosa like base but the main challenge was baking in the oven which spoils the texture and taste of the idli base. If you are adept at using the oven, you may go ahead with that but we prefer to bake it on the tawa.

Hence we shallow fried the topping veggies, Half fried the dosa, applied the salsa topping, fried veggies and then decorated with grated cheese. Pan fried the pizza with a dome cover so that the pizza is properly cooked and the topping cheese melted perfectly. That's Idlizza!

Ingredients:
Left over Idli batter - 4-6 ladles
Salsa topping for pizza - 4-6 Tsp(See recipe at the end)
Chopped onions - 1/2 cup
Chopped Capsicum - 1/2 cup
Chopped mushrooms(Optional - 1/2 Cup
Mozzarella cheese - 50-100Gms grated
Salt and pepper
Chilli flakes(Optional)
Oregano(Optional)
Oil - For pan roasting pizzas

Method:
Heat a dosa tawa.
Drizzle a few drops of oil and sprinkle water. spread the sizzling moisture evenly and pour a ladleful of idli batter. Don't spread thin. Let it run by itself/slightly spread the dough to get thick dosas.
Make 4-6 dosas, just cooked on both sides but not browned.
Stir fry the veggies on high flame in a pan with oil, salt and pepper. Allow to cool.
Apply salsa topping on each dosa, spread the fried veggies and top them with grated mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle salt and pepper, optionally a pinch of chilli flakes and oregano each.
Place on hot tawa with medium heat smeared with little oil, cover with dome lid and roast till cheese melts.
Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Salsa Topping

Ingredients:
Pulpy Tomatoes - 4
Onion powder - 1 Tsp(Optional)
Garlic - 8 flakes, peeled and chopped
Cayenne pepper/Red chilli powder) - 1 Tsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 1 Tsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2 Tsp

Method:
Wash and blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 10 mins, till skin starts to separate.
Peel off the skin, de-seed and chop them coarsely.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry chopped garlic till golden. Add onion powder and  cayenne pepper. Saute
Add the chopped tomatoes and fry. Add salt to taste.
As the sauce thickens, add tomato ketchup, mix well and allow to sizzle for a minute. Allow to cool.
Store in airtight jar/bottle in the fridge.