Authentic Malvani recipe for the special feijao (beans) curry. It can be made with or without the shrimp. Beans cooked perfectly in Instant Pot!

Feijao, the brownish red beans, are considered to be specialty food from Goa. In Portuguese feijao means beans. There is a lot of Portuguese influence in Goa, as it was ruled by the Portuguese for over 400 years.
As a child, I visited Goa during summer vacation as our ancestral temple is in Goa. My Aai (mom) would get these specialty foods from Goa to bring back home and feijao was always one of them. So when we visited Goa a year and half ago, I brought back the feijao beans too. They are also called alsande in Konkani.


I followed my Aai’s recipe as I did for the Malvani Masala Crabs recipe.
Her family came from Malvan so this recipe is as authentic as it gets! Her book in Marathi is called Zanzaneet Non- Veg by Vaijayanti Rege and the recipe I followed is on page 31 called kolambiche dabdabeet.
I make a double batch of the masala and freeze it, so it is handy when the hankering for Malvani Masala strikes 🙂
Malvani Masala Feijao with Shrimp
Ingredients-
- 1 cup dry feijao beans
- 12 medium sized shrimp/ prawns
For the shrimp marinade-
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Sea salt to taste
For the masala-
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ inch piece of cinnamon
- 2 medium red onions, sliced thin
- 3 medium cloves of garlic
- ½ cup shredded dry coconut
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
Other ingredients-
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
To make the Malvani Masala Feijao with Shrimp
- Clean, wash and soak the feijao beans with plenty of water for 8 hours or overnight. Add salt to taste and cook the beans in Instant pot on the bean setting.
- Clean and rinse the shrimp and drain. Add to it the turmeric powder, chili powder and sea salt and let it marinate.
- Meanwhile, make the masala. In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon, in that order, until the coriander seeds are deep golden brown and the other spices swell up and are fragrant. Remove from pan.
- In the same pan, in the remaining oil, sauté the sliced onion and the garlic cloves until the onion starts to caramelize and the garlic is blistered and golden but not burnt. Add the shredded dry coconut and stir fry until it is toasted and golden. Add the chili powder and stir for a few seconds. Remove from heat.
- Grind together all the sautéed mixture with the tamarind pulp.
- In a deep sauce pan, add the coconut oil and sauté the finely diced onion until it is golden.
- Add the marinated shrimp and stir. When the shrimp looks translucent, add the cooked beans and the ground masala. Add water according to how thick or thin you like the gravy. I like a thinner gravy as I like to soak my bread in it! Yum!
- Let the whole mixture simmer on low for about 6 to 8 minutes or so, making sure the shrimp is cooked. The flavor deepens as it cools, so I make it a day ahead and reheat before eating.
- Enjoy with bread (paav), chapatti or rice.
Notes-
- This recipe can be made vegetarian by omitting the shrimp.
- Potatoes can also be added to the Malvani Masala Feijao with shrimp.
- Dried shrimp/ prawns can also be added to the the Malvani Masala Feijao instead of fresh shrimp/ prawns.
- You can adjust the water according to how thick or thin you want the gravy.
Enjoy!
Have a great weekend all!
Love,
<3
Sandhya
What a delicious combination of flavors. Love the addition of shrimps to it. 🙂
Thanks so much Ronit!
Now you’re talking. 🌿🍤🌱🌶🍃
Ha ha Thanks! I love shrimp too 🙂
What beans are a good substitute for the beans you have used?
I would say red chori or red beans. Do let me know how you like it.
Wow…this recipe looks amazing and the masala sounds divine. I will be trying this for sure. Thanks, Sandhya!
Thanks Zeba! I have been enjoying your posts on Kashmir. Hope you had a great trip.
Sandhya the trip was phenomenal, always emotional and soothing to travel back. Loved the picture you posted of the Goa veg market 😘
This looks delicious Sandhya and great that it can be made without shrimp too – I went to Goa many years ago but would love to go back now with a greater appreciation for Indian food 😄
Thanks so much Laura! I went to Goa after a long time and it has changed so much. But the food is still awesome!
This is such a lot of work. Awesome !
Thanks Rita! I make a double batch of teh masala (the tedious work) and freeze half of it 🙂
Looks delicious and I love your photos! I hope you have had a nice summer, Sandhya! I have been away a lot, and look forward to catching up!
So nice to hear from you Antonia! This summer has been quite busy for me too. I look forward to catching up with you.
It’s nice to hear from you too! It is always busier than you expect, and goes by too fast! I’m looking forward to fall, though!
Yes me too 🙂
Excellent recipe. I cant wait to try it, although I’ll have to use another type of beans!
Thanks so much! Yes red beans would taste awesome as well!