Balchao Mushrooms with Crispy White Beans (Indian Chili garlic curry)

Spicy-sour balchao mushrooms is a plant-based version of the traditional Goan dish. A western Indian tangy Chili garlic curry. This version, topped with crispy white beans, has an amazing combination of flavors and textures! gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free

What is Balchao?

Balchao is a Goan dish. Goa is a coastal western state in India, and it has its own cuisine, which has been influenced by the cuisines of other states around the region, as well as Portuguese cuisine. It has a set of recipes that are very specific to that cuisine.

I have a couple of Goan recipes on the blog already, like lentils vindaloo, Goan peri peri chicken, malvani chicken curry, and mushroom xacuti.

Balchao is usually made with prawns. Prawn balchao is made with a delicious, spicy, sour sauce that has a good amount of vinegar in it. The dish is kind of like a pickle, prepared several days ahead and then served as a side.

But the sauce on its own is absolutely delicious. I took that sauce and reduced the vinegar to make it more of a regular curry sauce. Then, I was wondering, “Oh, what do I add to this delicious sauce?” I could add some crisped up tofu or add some beans or vegetables. I’ve done all of these with different Indian sauces already, like my vegan butter chicken and beans do pyaza.

So, I thought I’d change things up and use mushroom, and for some texture and protein, use some crispy beans as a topping!. Mushrooms add umami and deepen the flavor of the sauce, and everything just melds together. Mushrooms also blend beautifully with the tang and spice of the balchao sauce. The crispy spicy beans are just amazing with the sauce. They add texture and crunch!

Making it this way, you can serve it in various ways and also meal prep. You can make the sauce and prepare the crispy beans ahead of time, and then pair them differently. You can make a mushroom toast by adding the mushroom sauce on buttered toast, topping it with the crisp beans and some sprouts or crunchy veggies. You can make wraps with the mushroom filling, adding more protein or beans in the wraps or tacos, then top them with crispy beans and crunchy veggies.

You can also serve balchao mushrooms with sourdough, naan, rice, flatbread, or over quinoa, a baked potato, or roasted vegetables or in any way you like. Don’t want to use mushrooms or make the crispy beans? Use tofu, toss with the spices and bake and use that as the protein instead!

If you don’t want to make the crispy beans, you can just fold the beans into the mushrooms midway, to make a delicious onion and mushroom spicy tangy balchao stew, and serve it with naan, flatbread, or rice.

The traditional recipe uses toddy vinegar, which is a type of coconut vinegar. If you have coconut vinegar, use that. Otherwise, use red wine vinegar, which is what I am using in the recipe. Traditional balchao also calls for dried shrimp paste or powder, but we’re omitting that to make a vegan version.

These changes make it more of a balchao-inspired sauce, and it is absolutely delicious! If you want to make a vegan prawn balchao, you can use vegan prawns or shrimp. Just crisp them up in a little bit of oil, and then add them to the sauce.

Why You’ll Love Balchao Mushrooms

• spicy, tangy sauce with toothsome mushrooms and crunchy, roasted white beans on top
• versatile! Serve with rice, naan, flatbread, baked potatoes, or roasted veggies. Or use as a filling for tacos, burritos, or wraps!
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Ingredients and Substitutions

• white beans – Use white beans of choice, like great northern or cannellini beans.
• ground spices – For the beans, you’ll need black pepper, Kashmiri chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. You can also add garam masala to the beans for more flavor, if you like.
• cornstarch – To help the beans get crispy.
• oil – To help the beans crisp more and to sauté.
• whole spices – For the balchao chili paste, you’ll need dried Kashmiri chilies, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, a cinnamon stick, and whole cloves. You can substitute ground cinnamon for whole, if needed. For the sauce, we are adding some curry leaves.
• aromatics – Ginger and garlic add umami to the balchao chili paste, and onion adds umami to the sauce.
• sugar – A little sweetness brings out all of the flavors in the sauce and balances the heat.
• garnish – Top your balchao mushrooms with fresh cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and non-dairy yogurt. Choose nut- and/or soy-free non-dairy yogurt, if needed.

How to Make Balchao Mushrooms with Crispy White Beans

Drain and rinse the beans, then let them sit in a strainer for at least five minutes to drain well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 415° F (212° C). Once the beans are drained, add them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix the black pepper, Kashmiri chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and cornstarch, mixing really well. For extra flavor, you can mix in 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, as well. Sprinkle this mixture over the beans, tossing them to coat evenly. Drizzle with oil, toss again to coat, and spread the beans in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes. At the 18- or 20-minute mark, move the beans around so the beans in the center get as crunchy as the ones on the edges. Continue baking, checking every 5 minutes, until they are evenly crispy. If some beans are still not crispy in the middle of the pan, bake for a few more minutes. (10 to 20 minutes depending on the oven and the beans). Once most of them are somewhat crunchy, turn off the oven and let them sit in the residual heat of the oven for 10 minutes to finish crisping up. Remove from the oven. They’ll be nicely crispy and crunchy, and they’ll be great for snacking. Set aside.

In a blender, add all the Balchao paste ingredients, along with 3/4 cup of the water. Blend for one minute, then let the mixture sit for 2 to 3 Minutes before blending again. If the Kashmiri chilies were not soaked, let the mixture sit for at least five minutes before blending again. Blend for another 30 seconds, let it sit for two more minutes, and then blend again until smooth. You want all of the spices and the Kashmiri chilis to be blended into the mixture to make a nice, pasty mixture. If it’s too thick, add more water and blend again, so it’s more saucy than it is a thick paste. Set this aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and once hot, add the curry leaves, onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Mix and cook until the onions turn golden, adding splashes of water to help them cook evenly. 

Once the onions are golden, mix in the mushrooms and a splash of water.

Cover with a lid, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then open the lid to check if the mushrooms are drying out too much. Mushrooms generally leak a lot of moisture, so they might be fine as-is, but if they’re drying out, add a splash of water, and cover with the lid and cook until they are just about done.(4 to 8 minutes depending on mushroom) Once we add the sauce to it, the mushrooms won’t cook that easily, so you want them al dente at this point.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the blended Balchao paste and remaining salt. Mix well, cover, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If the mixture is boiling too hard (at around 5 to 6 minutes), reduce the heat to low and stir to prevent scorching on the bottom. You want to cook this sauce low and slow to allow the flavors to meld.

Taste and adjust seasoning and consistency.

You can add more water to make it saucier, add some non-dairy yogurt to make it creamier, or add a splash of lemon juice for more tang.

.garnish with cilantro, some yogurt or non dairy cream.

What to Serve with Balchao Mushrooms

Serve balchao mushrooms over with sourdough, bread, naan, rice, flatbread or over quinoa, a baked potato, or roasted vegetables. Top with the crispy beans and more toppings of choice. Or make mushroom toast. Pair with cooling cucumber or a crunchy side salad.