Prawns cooked in a fiery, sweet-sour red paste of chilli, garlic and vinegar until thick — half curry, half pickle, and keeps for weeks.
What makes it prawn balchão
Prawns, fresh or dried.
A red paste of dried chilli, garlic, ginger and cumin ground in vinegar.
Sugar for a sweet-sour edge, and cooked until thick and oily.
Where it comes from
Balchão is a pickling method as much as a dish. Some trace it to Portuguese traders from Macau and a fermented shrimp sauce, balichão, made there; in Goa it became a thick paste of chilli, garlic and toddy vinegar cooked with prawns until it keeps.
It's eaten in small amounts, with rice or bread, and Goan families often make it with tiny dried prawns to keep in jars.
How it varies
Pork balchão
The same paste, with pork.
Dried prawn balchão
Made with small dried prawns, as a pickle to keep.