Elsie's world famous balchao recipe

Hi Skip,

Here's Elsie's balchao recipe:

1 lb prawns(King prawns preferred)

1 large onion

1 green chilli  -sliced

1 x 2" piece green ginger   -crushed

6 cloves garlic  -crushed

1 dessert spoon Elsie's Standard Curry powder   **

1 dessertspoon paprika

1 teaspoon each of sugar & salt

(Place all above ingredients in a non-metallic dish and   mix

to a paste with a dessertspoon oil and some vinegar(see below)

1/4 bottle vinegar

1/4 bottle vegetable or mustard oil

Heat remaining oil in a large pan and fry pawns, onions and chilli until free

of all moisture. Add the paste and cook gently to blend. Next pour in the

remaining vinegar and simmer for about ten minutes before 'potting' in

sterilized jars.

 

**Since you don't have Elsie's Standard curry powder recipe, here it is:

4 dessertspoons cumin seed

2 dessertspoons coriander seed 

1 dessertspoon whole black pepper

25 cloves

4 x 4" sticks of cinnamon bark(broken up)

10 cardamom pods

Grind all the above in a coffee grinder, place in a bowl and add

1 1/2 dessertspoons paprika powder

 dessertspoon turmeric powder

1/2  dessertspoon chilli powder(hot)  - optional

(Powdered spice may be used in lieu of whole spice and in the same

proportion - only that freshly-ground spice is noticeably better.

Store in a dry sterilized jar.

Note: This cooking seems to have gone to my head.

Yesterday I made some yellow lime pickle and now

hoping to make some mackerel molho!!!

Goodnight!

My friend Mervyn Maciel getting down to cooking a serious dish of prawn balchao inspired by a delicious sunset in Surrey UK