Prawn Balchao

Name: Prawn Balchao
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: Raw prawns; Vegetable oil; Red wine vinegar; Onion; Garlic; Fresh ginger; Dried chillies; Ground cumin; Mustard seeds

211 kcal a serving, against 379 for the traditional version. That is 168 kcal off, or 44%, with 31.8g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.

What the traditional version is

Raw prawns flash-fried, then heavily reduced in a violently red paste of dried chillies, vinegar, sugar, onions and spices. The whole thing is then submerged under a thick layer of oil to seal it from the air and preserve it.

What changed, and what each change costs

100g of vegetable oil for just 15g

The traditional recipe relies on a massive volume of fat to act as a barrier against bacteria. Dropping the oil entirely changes the dish from a preserved pickle into a fresh curry. The fiery paste still coats the seafood perfectly well without the deep-fried texture.

What it costs you. You completely lose the oily slick that stains your fingers bright red. The sauce feels much tighter and clings directly to the meat, eating more like a dry stir-fry than a rich, unctuous pickle.

400g of prawns up to 600g

Because you've lost the massive oil content padding out the dish, the physical volume on your plate drops significantly. Throwing in an extra 200g of prawns fills that gap and packs the dish with top-tier lean meat.

What it costs you. Prawns are expensive. Your shopping bill goes up noticeably. That's the trade for cutting out the cheap, empty calories of cooking oil.

20g of sugar down to absolutely zero

Goan food often balances sharp vinegar with heavy sugar. Raw prawns have a natural sweetness that comes through beautifully if you just let them do their job. You don't need a crutch of refined sugar to make the dish work.

What it costs you. You end up with a fiercely sharp and aggressively hot main course. The version that's a sticky, sweet relish anymore is still out there and still better. The acidic punch of the vinegar hits you much harder without the sugar to dull the edges.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Raw prawns
Vegetable oil
Red wine vinegar
Onion
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Dried chillies
Ground cumin
Mustard seeds

How it starts

Put the dried chillies in a small bowl, cover them with boiling water, and leave them to soften for 15 minutes.
Throw the softened chillies, garlic, ginger, cumin, mustard seeds and red wine vinegar into a blender.
Heat the 15g of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Indian.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	379	211
Protein	21.8g	31.8g
Fat	26.5g	5.5g
Saturated fat	3.4g	0.7g
Carbohydrate	14.3g	9.3g
Protein per 100 kcal	5.7g	15.1g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. crustaceans, mustard, sulphites.

The method is in the book

This is an absolute riot of a dinner. It hits you with a massive punch of vinegar and chilli, backed up by a huge pile of fresh prawns. I got rid of the heavy preservation oil and the unnecessary sugar, leaving a sharp, lean dish with incredible flavour. It demands your full attention while you eat it, and it delivers exactly what it promises. It is bright, aggressive, and leaves a pleasant burn.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback