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Balachaung
Dried shrimp relish
Balachaung (ဘာလချောင်): crunchy fried dried shrimp relish with garlic, shallots and chilli
Every Burmese pantry keeps a jar of balachaung, and along the Rakhine coast, where the dried shrimp come from, families fry it in big batches after the dry-season catch. Pounded dried shrimp are fried slowly with crisp shallots, garlic, chilli and a dab of shrimp paste until the whole lot turns into a dry, golden, crackling floss that is salty, smoky, a little sweet and quite hot. A spoonful lifts plain rice, a fried egg, rice porridge or a bowl of noodles, and it travels well, so students and travellers pack a jar to take away from home. Rushing it over a high heat is where most batches go wrong: the shrimp scorch and turn bitter before they are crisp, so keep the heat at medium-low and stir patiently. Chef's tip: fry the shallots and garlic separately and stir them back in only when the shrimp are done, so they stay crunchy for weeks.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the crispy aromatics
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 10 ½ oz shallotsvery thinly sliced
- 20 garlic clovesvery thinly sliced
For the shrimp
- 5 ½ oz dried shrimp
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp chilli powderuse 0.5 tsp for a milder relish
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Rinse 5 ½ oz dried shrimp, cover with warm water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and dry thoroughly on a clean tea towel; any moisture left will make the relish soggy and shorten its life.
10 minStep 2: Pound the shrimp in a mortar, or pulse in a food processor, until fluffy and shredded like coarse floss. Don't grind to a powder.
Step 3: Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a wok or wide pan over a medium heat. Fry 10 ½ oz shallots for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until evenly golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper; they crisp as they cool.
12 minStep 4: Fry 20 garlic cloves in the same oil for 2–3 minutes, until pale gold, and lift out straight away; it keeps darkening off the heat.
3 minStep 5: Pour off all but about 100 ml of the oil (keep the rest for cooking). Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 ½ tsp chilli powder for 10 seconds.
Step 6: Add 1 tsp shrimp paste and mash it into the oil for 30 seconds until it smells toasty.
Step 7: Add the shrimp floss and fry, stirring and scraping all the time, for 12–15 minutes, until it is dry, crisp and a deep golden brown and sounds sandy when you stir.
15 minStep 8: Stir in 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tbsp sugar and ¼ tsp salt and keep frying for 3–4 minutes, until the moisture from the tamarind has cooked off and the relish is dry and loose again.
4 minStep 9: Take off the heat and stir the shallots and garlic back in. Spread out on a tray and leave to cool completely.
Step 10: Pack into a clean, dry jar with a tight lid and use a dry spoon every time. Kept in a cool, dark cupboard it stays crisp for about 1 month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does balachaung take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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