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.