Ingredients Of Chingri Malai Curry:
- 400 gmprawns
- 3 Tbsp mustard oil
- 1/2 tbsp whole cumin
- 2 Tbsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tsp ghee
- Grind the onions, tomatoes, and green chilies into a fine paste in a food processor.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the paste to it. Fry for a minute.
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for another minute.
- Add the spices and brown masala till the oil begins to separate from it.
- dd the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.
- Add the prawns and cook for another 2 minutes only.
- Turn off the fire and stir in the cream.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Jeera Rice or plain boiled rice.
How I Do It:
- Clean the prawns as explained earlier and mix it with turmeric and salt and keep aside for about ½ hour, Meanwhile grind the onion to a paste.Note: If your onion paste tends to turn bitter, saute the onions until translucent and then make the paste.
- Heat oil in Kadai/Frying Pan
- Lightly fry the prawns so they turn golden in color, do not deep fry like other fish.
- As soon as the prawns turn a pale golden take them out put them on a paper towel.
- In the same oil, add the chopped garlic.
- As soon as the fragrance of the garlic rises, take out the garlic from the oil so that the oil is now garlic flavored but there is no garlic in the gravy.
- Add TejPata or BayLeaves
- Coarsely pound the Elaichi, Laung & Darchini with a pestle and add them too
- Add the onion paste when you see the whole garam masala crackling
- Continue frying the onion with a little bit of sugar till it turns brown in color or the oil separates from the paste
- Add the ginger paste and cook the masala.
- Stir and add the can of coconut milk
- Add a little water (about 1/3 of the can) in the can, mix well and add it too.
- Add Red Chilli Powder, very little turmeric powder and salt.
- Add the green chillies
- Mix well and cook the gravy. The gravy tastes best when you simmer it a low heat for about 25-30 minutes
- When you see the oil surfacing on the gravy add the fried prawns.
- Cook on low for some more time till the gravy thickens and acquires a creamy consistency.
- Serve with white Rice or yellow Pulao
Do make it a point to try out this dish, you will find a dinner of white Basmati Rice & Chingri macher Malaikari is nothing but unadulterated pleasure.
Note: If you scour the net you might find variations of this recipe, but this is how my Ma and I make it
Trivia:It seems our very own dada, Sourav Ganguly is very fond of Chingri Macher Malaikari and his wife Dona serves him this every day when he is at home. Sorav, better get your cholesterol checked.
