Chingri Malai

Bengali king prawns in a coconut and mustard paste. A Kolkata wedding-table classic.

PREP

MINS

Cook

MINS

SERVES

Jump to recipe

Watch on youtube

About this recipe

King prawns marinated in turmeric and a freshly-toasted Bengali garam masala, then simmered in a coconut and mustard paste until the sauce thickens and the prawns curl tight. A Kolkata wedding-table dish, rich and faintly sweet. The shells stay on for flavour.

Chingri malai curry is the Bengali wedding-banquet dish, served at Hindu marriages across West Bengal and Bangladesh as the centrepiece prawn course. The name translates loosely as Malaysian-style prawn curry (a misnomer; the dish is wholly Bengali, the name a historical confusion). The signature is the combination of coconut milk and mustard, two ingredients that rarely meet in other Indian regional cooking but define the East Bengal coastal repertoire.

Keeping the shells and heads on the prawns is the non-negotiable step. The shells release calcium and the heads release the hepatopancreatic juice (the prawn's umami factory) into the sauce as they simmer; shelled prawns give a thinner, less complex curry no matter how good the paste underneath.

Fresh Bengali garam masala (cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves toasted lightly in a dry pan and ground in a mortar) is the small ritual that separates a great chingri malai from a flat one. Pre-ground garam masala loses its perfume within weeks; freshly toasted holds its aromatic complexity for the length of the cook. Mustard oil for the base, coconut milk for the body, sugar to balance the heat. Serve with steamed basmati and a wedge of lime.

Ingredients

Bengali Garam Masala
4 cinnamon sticks, crushed
8 green cardamom pods
5g cloves
Chingri Malai
6 (extra) large king/tiger prawns, whole
6 bamboo skewers
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt, to taste
Paste
2 ½ tbsp of mustard oil
1 tbsp of ghee
½ tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch of cinnamon, crushed
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 inch ginger, minced
1 cup sliced red onions
1 bay leaf
½ tsp of kashmiri red chillies
1 ½ tsp of Bengali garam masala
1 tbsp jaggery
300ml (1 can) of organic coconut cream
juice of ½ green lime (or lime wedges served with the meal)

Method

1. Fresh lime, cut into wedges

2. Steamed rice

3. To prepare the Bengali garam masala gently toasting all of the spices in a dry pan over a medium-low heat until fragrant.

4. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind them into a powder. You can store this in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

5. Devein the prawns (keep the head and shell intact) and cover them with the turmeric and salt, keep aside for 5 minutes. Put the skewer through the entire length of the prawns, this will prevent them from curling while cooking.

6. In a shallow pan, heat the mustard oil (reserve 1 teaspoon) and fry the prawns for a minute on each side.

7. Take prawns out and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the pan. Add bay leaves, and rest of the crushed spices, and sautee on a low flame, add the chopped garlic and grate in half of the ginger. Add the onions, a little salt and saute until soft and oozing oil.

8. Remove the onions and spices from the pan, cool and blitz into a fine paste.

9. Return the onion and spice paste back to the pan over a medium heat. Add bay leaf, Kashmiri red chilli powder, Bengali garam masala and jaggery, stir to incorporate the spices into the paste.

10. Gradually add the coconut cream, cooking it into the spice paste. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water. Bring this thick gravy to boil and add the prawns. Spoon the gravy over the prawns, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

11. Turn the heat off completely and allow the prawns to cook in the residual heat.

12. Spoon the sauce onto your serving plate, add prawns and squeeze over a wedge of fresh lime. Finish the dish off with reserved mustard oil and chopped coriander. Serve with rice and a wedge of lime.

To embed a Youtube video, add the URL to the properties panel.