Prawn Recheado Parathas at Souza Lobo Calangute: a foodie’s delight

CALANGUTE, GOA: On a wet, rainy weekend, when we were invited to try out some steaming, ever-tempting Prawn Recheado Parathas at the iconic Souza Lobo restaurant, which sits on the Calangute beach-front in North Goa, we just couldn’t say no.

So that’s how we landed up, all eager and excited, with the rain pouring down in sheets, to try out something new – as the guys at Souza Lobo termed it.

And as we walked into the glorious edifice of traditional Goan gastronomic adventures, what a sight it was to see, not to forget the exquisite, lingering smell and flavours of the steaming hot (and spicy) recheado prawns, combined with the fluffy, lightly fried parathas, as they greeted us on a beach-facing table, that’s so very Souza Lobo.

With our taste buds tingling, the sight of the soft, fluffy parathas, stuffed with recheado prawns temptingly invited us to devour them with an equally appetizing aroma  – by the way,  Souza Lobo also does the topped version, so you can choose between stuffed recheado prawn parathas or parathas topped with recheado prawns.

The secret to its fabulous taste possibly lies in the combination of the softness and fluffiness of the freshly prepared parathas and the hot, spicy yet succulent recheado prawns; and the fine art of balancing the two is a trade secret that is passed down for generations at Souza Lobo, as the culinary institution celebrates 90 years of authentic Goan food and traditional Goan recipes.

While there may be many who may try to copy or mimic Souza Lobo’s recheado prawn parathas, the original delicacy can probably never be duplicated or replicated anywhere or by anyone.

So when you visit Goa next, make sure you head to Souza Lobo at Calangute and try out their recheado prawn parathas and not to forget the crab kulchas (Read Here), xacutti naans and cafreal kulchas (Read Here)

What is Recheado Masala?

The word recheado means stuffed in Portuguese. Recheado masala is a thick reddish-orange, bit tangy paste, mostly spicy, which is filled as stuffing in fish like pomfret and mackerel (bangdo) or used to make prawn chilly fry or stir fry.

It is also used to marinate prawns before frying or cooking. Recheado masala is a fiery masala which is a blend of hot aromatic spices,  chillies and sometimes with tomatoes, onions and tamarind.

Recheado masala is also used to marinate meats like chicken or pork, though its use with seafood like prawn, mackerel and pomfret is more common. It is the spicy, tangy stuffing used in Recheado Bangdo (mackerel) and Recheado Pomfret and is used for preparing similar combinations with prawns and squids. Read Here: The Best Recheado Pomfret in Goa?

It is also sometimes used to marinate and cook crab claws and squids and Squids Recheado is a very popular Goan dish, particularly in the coastal belt  – both the gravy and dry or semi dry versions are found on the menus of almost every self-respecting Goan restaurant both in North and South Goa.

In fact, we were tempted to ask the guys at Souza Lobo – when will you do Squid Recheado parathas or Crab Recheado naans?

The East Indians in Mumbai (earlier Bombay) have their own version of the Goan recheado masala – but it uses more vinegar, while the Goan variant normally uses other options like lemon juice or tamarind, though vinegar is also used often.

In Mumbai, East Indians use the recheado masala to marinate meats like pork and chicken, which are later on cooked in a thick spicy gravy.

What are Parathas?

Parathas are simple flatbreads made with whole wheat (or atta) flour and just a few other simple ingredients like a dash of salt.

A soft dough is prepared by hand, using a little water to soften it, formed and flattened, and then folded several times to create lots of flaky, fluffy layers. Parathas are normally shallow fried.

Parathas can be plain or stuffed and Aloo (potato) Parathas, Aloo Gobi Parathas, Butter/Cheese Parathas or even Kheema (mince meat) Parathas are very popular in the metro cities like Mumbai and Bangalore, as a quick breakfast item, before rushing off to work.

What we recommend: The Souza Lobo restaurant at Calangute is known across Goa (and India) for their fabulous flagship Recheado Pomfret, Recheado Prawns, Recheado King Prawns, Recheado Bangdo, Recheado Squids and the recently introduced experimental or fusion food – Recheado Prawn Parathas, Cafreal Kulchas, Sorpotel Naans and Crab Kulchas.

They also make the best (and authentic Goan) Chicken Xacuti (Read Here) as well as Crab Xacuti  (Read Here) in all of Goa.