Goan Recheado Masala

Ingredients

• 20 Kashmiri red Chillies or smoked sweet paprika
• 10 cloves Garlic
• 3 inch Ginger fresh
• 10 Cloves
• 10 Peppercorns or 1 tsp pepper powder
• 1 large Cinnamon stick (3-inches)
• 4 Green cardamoms
• 1 tsp Cumin jeera
• 2 tbsp Jaggery (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Tamarind paste (or small golf size ball of fresh tamarind)
• 1/2 cup White vinegar Palm or white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup Coconut vinegar (Feni)
• 1 large Onion
• 1 tbsp Cooking oil

Steps

1. Soak the chilies in vinegar for 20 minutes. This will soften them and make them easier to grind. Pro tip – to make the masala paste less spicy, deseed the chilies. The seeds are usually spicy so taking them out will reduce the spiciness.
2. Roughly slice the onions and saute them in the oil until caramelized. Pro tip – to store the paste for a longer time at room temperature, omit the onions. Onions tend to reduce shelflife.
3. Place all the ingredients, along with the soaked chilies, spices, and cooked onions in the blender, food processor, or mixer. Grind until smooth adding the vinegar a little at a time. Pro tip – adding the vinegar gradually will give a smoother consistency to the paste. DO NOT USE WATER ONLY VINEGAR TO MAKE THIS PASTE
4. Remove and store in a glass jar or mason jar. Pro tip – Do not store in aluminum as the acid in the vinegar will react with the metal giving the paste a metallic taste.