Prawn Recheado / Rechard

So what did I do with the rechado paste I posted about earlier? Made some delicious, succulent Prawn Rechado. Very easy to make. First of all make the rechado paste. Marinate the prawns with it and stir fry. See, easy-peasy. I told you.

Ingredients:

23 to 25 large prawns [I kept the tail on of a few of them]

Rechado (rechard) paste

1 to 2 tbsp oil

1 to 2 tbsp water

1 tbsp coriander leaves

Salt

Method:

Marinate prawns in the paste. Refrigerate for a few hours [I kept it overnight .]

In a large pan, heat oil. Add marinated prawns along with all the paste. Sprinkle water. Cook covered till the prawns are completely cooked. Keep stirring to avoid the masala from sticking to the pan. Adjust salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

 The Goan Rechado masala is a little sweeter, so add extra sugar if needed. I did not want to make it too sweet so I stuck to the 3tsp sugar I added while making the paste. 

Hope you enjoy this Goan delicacy as much as I do :)!

Goan Recheado / Rechard Masala

If you love seafood and have visited Goa, then chances are you would have tried a spicy-sweet-tangy dish with a deep red colour called Rechard Masala. So when I found a recipe to make this paste in a book called "Goenche Swad", I was waiting to try it out. I made a few minor changes, since I was making this for the first time. The recipe called for 1 cup coconut vinegar, but since I had white vinegar I added only 1/2 cup - I was very apprehensive to add a whole cup - and added some coconut oil. I also toned down the spices a bit. This paste can be used as a marinade for your seafood. I found it similar to gheeroast that we get down south, except that rechard masala is tangier and ofcourse, sweeter.

Ingredients:
18 to 20 kashmiri chillies, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp haldi powder
1 tsp jeera
12 to 14 peppercorns
5 to 6 cloves
1" cinammon
10 garlic cloves
1" ginger
1 tsp tamarind
2 to 3 tsp sugar
2 tsp coconut oil
Salt
1/2 cup vinegar

Method:

Dump all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well so that the chillies and all the other ingredients get marinated in the vinegar. Leave aside for 30 to 40 minutes. Grind into a smooth paste. [Add a little more oil if required. You could use a little water, but if you want to store the paste for a few days, avoid using water].

I will let you know very soon what I made of this paste. Stay tuned!

So here's what I made - Prawn Rechard.

Anjal / Seer Fish Masala Fry

Some of my most cherished memories are the ones I spent with my cousins in my Mamama (maternal granny's) place. Long before the age of Nickelodeons and Nintendos, our summer vacations would mainly comprise of playing in the frontyard, amidst the trees, despite the scorching heat. Hide-and-seek used to be one of our favourites where we would hurriedly count upto 20 and rush to find the others crouching under the bed or stooping behind a tree. We would revel playing "family" and being pretend mommies and daddies working hard at the pretend office or sprawling our kitchen-set in the pretend kitchen. During one such evening,  the daddies brought home some pretend fish (leaves of a tree) and we made some yummy pretend fish fry for them. I don't think my cousins would even remember this day - we were like 8 or 9 years old then, but I couldn't help smiling when I was shallow frying this fish, so badly wanting to relive all those pleasant memories.

I followed my mom's recipe for this one, making a couple of minor changes. The chilli powder I used was a local brand which gave a wonderful colour and was less spicy. Adjust the spice according to your taste. If the fish turns out too spicy, drizzle more lemon juice before serving. Also, if vinegar is not available, replace with lemon juice. I used 7 medium pieces of anjal (surmai / seer fish).

Ingredients:

For the marinade

1 tsp chopped ginger

5 to 6 garlic cloves

3 tsp chilli powder 

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vinegar

2 tbsp water

Salt to taste

For shallow frying:

Oil

Curry leaves (about 5 to 6 per piece of fish)

Method:

Grind all the ingredients under "for the marinade" into a smooth paste. [The marinade should be spicy and slightly salty]. Apply it all over the fish and refrigerate for a few hours [I kept it overnight]. 

Heat oil in a pan. Add lots of curry leaves, roughly torn. Place fish pieces and drizzle some more oil on top. Cover and shallow fry for a few minutes on each side, till the fish is completely cooked.

Serve hot with a dash of lemon. 

Raja Phanna Upkari / Mackerel In Spicy-Tangy Sauce

Raja Phanna Upkari is a super-spicy, delightfully tangy Konkani dish made with very few ingredients. "Raja" here refers to mackerel and somehow for me, this fish is irreplaceable. Ofcourse, you can make this dish with prawns or tilapia or any other type of fish, but I always found mackerels winning hands down on this one.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 medium mackerels, cleaned and cut

2 cups onions finely chopped

5 to 6 tsp chilli powder

1 goose-berry sized tamarind

Salt

Method:

In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup hot water and soak tamarind in it.

In a deep-bottomed pan, heat oil. Add chopped onion and roast for about 10 minutes till they become brownish. Add chilli powder and roast on medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes.

Squeeze tamarind in the water as much as possible. Add the water into the pan. Pour some more water on the tamarind, squeeze out the juice completely and add the water to the pan. Discard the tamarind.

 Add a cup or two of water and bring to a boil. Add mackerels. Add more water if needed and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer and cook till the fish is completely cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes.

People also make this dish by grinding roasted chillies with tamarind. At my mom's place it's usually made with chilli powder. Either ways, the kick the chillies lend are a great accompaniment to rice along with milder fish curries. Love the combo! Fish fry anyone?

Kurle Alle Piyava Ghashi / Crabs in Spicy Onion-Ginger Coconut Curry

Eating crabs can be a messy affair. That's why it's best eaten at home, when nobody is watching! Seriously, I get so involved with this dish that I have to be reminded that there is nothing more left that is edible.

Alle Piyava Ghashi is a konkani delicacy where the crab is cooked along with chopped onion and ginger and you get a delicious aftertaste of these ingredients. This is how crab is usually prepared at Amma's place. My mom cleaned and cut the crab for me and made most of this dish while I happily clicked pictures.

Ingredients:
5 medium crabs
2 cups grated coconut
7 to 8 roasted red chillies
1 goose-berry sized tamarind
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tbsp chopped ginger
Salt
1 tsp oil

Method:
Grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind with enough water to get a smooth paste.
In a large deep-bottomed pan, add cleaned and cut crabs, onion, ginger and the ground paste. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add more water if needed. Cook till the crabs are completely cooked - about 10 minutes. Adjust salt, drizzle oil. Cover and keep aside for sometime.

Like all seafood curries, this tastes better after a few hours or next day. I like it best with boiled rice, fried fish and a phanna upkari. Now what is that? More in the next post :).

Sungta Ghashi ( Humman ) / Shrimps ( Prawns ) in Spicy Coconut Gravy

Being born and brought up in Mangalore, I've been an avid sea-food lover. I enjoy eating fish when it is cooked in typical "amchi" style and this particular dish is my all-time favourite. My mom makes sure a plate of hot steaming sungta ghashi is ready for me whenever I land in M'lore.
The hing (aesofotida) adds a punch to the prawns which are cooked in a spicy coconut gravy with a hint of tangy tamarind. A day old dish is always preferred since the prawns would have soaked in all the spices.

Ingredients:

Approx 2 cups shrimps (45 to 50 medium sized), shelled and de-veined

1 ¼ cup grated coconut

10 to 15 red chillies, lightly roasted in oil (I added 14)

1 gooseberry-sized tamarind

Salt

2 tsp oil

1 tsp hing powder 

Method:

Grind coconut, chillies and tamarind with enough water (about 1 cup) and some salt to get a smooth paste. [Adjust the chillies according to your spice level]. The paste has to be spicy to accommodate the bland prawns.

In a deep-bottomed vessel, pour this paste and mix the prawns in it. Add more water and salt to taste and cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes. The shrimps will curl up and appear pink in colour. Switch the gas off.

Add oil and hing powder and mix well. Adjust salt according to your taste. I like this dish slightly spicy and very slightly salty as it will be an ideal combination with rice.

And by rice I mean "boiled" rice or "ukde sheeth". Seen in this picture is "kuthari brown rice" which I bought from an Indian store in Sunnyvale. Now all this plate needs is a piece of fried fish :)!!