Recheado Masala

The King of Goan Spice Mixes.......

Have you had Goan food before, if yes, I'm sure you would instantly think of the spicy, tangy and  sweetness perfectly balanced. There's one thing that gives a distinctive taste to Goan food and sets apart this cuisine from the rest of the Indian subcontinent, that's the Recheado Spice Mix.

To make the Masala: You will need the following ingredients

50 Kashmiri Chilies
6-8 Garlic Cloves
4-5 Cloves
2 tsp turmeric powder

2 sticks of Cinnamon 

1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Mustard
1 tsp Black Pepper
A Small Ball of Tamarind (Tiny enough to pass through you index finger and Thumb when you make a circle)
5 Inch Piece of Ginger
2 tsp brown sugar 1 Onion (caramelized by frying in a pan)

Mix all of these ingredients in a mixer jar (Spice Grinder) and grind it to a fine paste by adding 4 tbsp. of Coconut Vinegar. If you don't have goan vinegar, a good substitute will be balsamic vinegar. You can store this mixture in a jar for several weeks in the Fridge.

The Recheado Masala is the King of Goan Spice treasure trove. The word Recheado itself means stuffed in Portuguese Language possibly indicating this masala started life as something made for stuffing or filling (Recheio) like stuffed squid or Mackerel but now is universally used for everything under the sun as its so addictive once you have it. This is the Goan version of Massa De Pimentao, a Portuguese spice mix made with red Bell Peppers. This could well have been the evolution to the Goan Spice mix, you never know. It was long time ago that this Recheado mix was developed, possibly the early 1500's during the early days of Portuguese Sailors and missionaries living in Goa and wanting a taste of Portugal in Goa. 

However, you master this Goan spice mix, then you have opened up yourself to the most delectable of Goan dishes. The most famous of Goan dishes end up using this spice mix in some form or the other. Here's a handful of dishes I can list

1. Recheado stuffed Mackerel
2. Sorpatel
3. Pork Vindalho
4. Stuffed Squid
5. Racheado Fry (Squids, Prawns, Fish)
6. Chouriso
7. Balchao
8. Fish Mole
9. Recheado Grill (Fish, Chicken, Pork)