Chingri Malaikari (Scampi in a creamy coconut milk gravy)

The bangals (people originally from erstwhile East Bengal) say nothing can match the heavenly and exquisite taste Bhapa Illish and Shorshe Illish (Hilsha in coconut mustard gravy). The ghatis (people originally from West Bengal) want Chingri macher malaikari (scampi in a coconut gravy) to celebrate every occasion. Is it the fragrant flavorful Hilsha fish or the meaty scampi, which one is the best? This question has given rise to many friendly-heated debates. Yet it remains without an answer. As for me, give me a plate of any of the dishes, and I am a happy Bengali. The delicate fragrant oily Hilsha nestled in coconut-mustard gravy, steamed, a slender green chili adding to its flavor – it is truly the queen of fishes and dishes. The succulent scampi in the thick creamy coconut milk with the delicate flavor of fresh young coconut – it is the majestic king. Who cares which one is best, I am lucky to enjoy both of them. Hilsha is almost next to impossible to get here, so it was time for celebrating the scampi. Malai meaning cream, chingri malaikari is a creamy curry in coconut milk. This is what I cooked a while back for some festive occasion. And wow, is that what is as called ‘heaven on plate’. It was delicate. It was rich and yet with subtle play of flavors. It was savory with just a hint of sweetness. It was there, enticing, in its creamy richness. And I am quite a bit proud to say that it was the best ever chingri malaikari I have cooked or even tasted. What a royal and delicious way of celebrating!

 

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

350g scampi

1 large onion

1-2 clove garlic

1 inch ginger

2-3 green chilies

1-2 bay leaves

4-5 green cardamom

4-5 cloves

1 stick cinnamon

1sp sugar

4tbsp freshly grated coconut

400ml coconut milk

1/2sp red chili powder

Turmeric powder

Salt

Ghee

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Shell and devein the scampi and clean them well. Rub the scampi with a pinch of turmeric and salt.
2. Heat ghee in a wok. Fry the scampi in batches until golden.
3. In the meantime, coarsely chop the onion, garlic, ginger and chilies. In a separate wok, heat a 1tbsp of ghee. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chili. Fry until the onion is translucent and golden. Remove from pan and blend everything into a smooth paste.
4. In the same wok used for frying scampi, add a bit more ghee and heat. Add the bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick.
5. When the nice fragrance comes out, add a spoon of sugar. Let it caramelize.
6. Add the coconut powder. Fry until golden.
7. Add the onion-ginger-garlic-chili paste. Add red chili powder and a pinch of turmeric. Fry on medium heat stirring well until it starts leaving oil at sides.
8. Remove from heat and let it cool for a minute. Add the coconut milk. (Do not add the coconut milk in very hot wok).
9. Put the wok back on medium heat. Bring the coconut milk to boil and reduce it to a creamy consistency. Cook until the oil from the coconut milk starts floating on top.
10. Add the fried scampi and give a stir. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Serve with steaming rice.

Sosha doi chingri (Shrimps with cucumber in yogurt sauce)

We Bengali cook and eat fish, and we do so every day. Leaving aside the fight between Hilsha and Shrimps regarding which one is better, the shrimps are a frequent visitor in my parents’ kitchen. Pairing shrimps up with cucumber for a mild summer lunch is just perfect. I often cook shrimps in that style, but this time I wished to make a little change. Instead of water, I wanted to make a yogurt and milk based gravy. The lightness of cucumber complimenting the meaty shrimps, flavored in a typical Bengali vegetarian style with ginger in a mild yogurt based gravy; this variation was also a good combination of simple flavors and light dishes.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

200g shrimps

1 large cucumber

1cup yogurt

1/2cup milk

1/2sp cumin seeds

1sp ginger paste

Ghee

Salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.      Clean the shrimps, wash and pat dry. Peel and cut the cucumber into long sticks.

2.      Heat ghee in a wok. Fry the shrimps until golden brown. Set aside on a paper towel.

3.      Temper the same ghee (add a bit more if necessary) with cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the ginger paste and fry for a minute until fragrant.

4.      Add the cucumber. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes on moderate heat until the cucumber start getting transparent.

5.      Add the milk and yogurt. Season with salt and a pinch of sugar. Cook until the cucumber is soft yet firm and the sauce thickens.

6.      Add the fried shrimps. Mix well with a gentle hand and cook for couple of minutes more.

Chingri kumro (Pumpkin with shrimps)

In Bengal we love eating fishes and shrimps, and use them in all possible preparations. Kucho chingri or tiny shrimps can give such a delicious flavor in any vegetable preparation, and is used often. So, for my pumpkin series in Bengali style, I of course had to cook it with tiny shrimps. It is cooked similar to Kumro boti, with only shrimps instead of garlic. Blaž loved it. And his grandma said, if pumpkin tastes so good, she can eat a lot more of the vegetable!

 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

1kg pumpkin

2 big onions

200g shrimp

1 green chili

Turmeric

Chili powder

Salt

Sugar

Oil

METHOD:

1.        Cut the pumpkin into thin sticks. Chop the onions.

2.        Heat oil in a wok (around 3tbsp, a bit more than usually needed).

3.        Add the shrimps, salt and chili powder. Fry until golden. Remove from oil and keep aside.

4.        In the same oil, add chopped onion. Cook on medium heat until onion starts getting golden.

5.        Add the pumpkin. Add green chili, chili powder to taste (tastes better if hot), a pinch of turmeric. Cook covered on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.

6.        When pumpkin is almost done, remove cover and the fried shrimps. Cook on high heat for a few more minutes, until pumpkin is well done. It must be semi-dry with no gravy.

Corn and prawn salad

I am not a fan of green salad. However, I find salads interesting when it is a mixture of different tastes, textures and colors. This makes it look very palatable, and interesting. I wished some quick dish that would use the corn that was sitting for some time now, would be healthy, and interesting. And thus came out this colorful salad. The sweet taste of the juicy corn and the saltiness of the prawns with a hint of chili complemented each other. Salad greens and fresh tomato gave a crunchy freshness. The soft creamy mozzarella topped it. Looking at my colorful plate, I couldn’t resist eating and just got time to quickly take a few pictures. The taste was great, an excellent mixture of flavors and textures.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 2)

100g lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)
300g sweet corn seeds
400g prawn (small)
1 medium sized tomato
8 fresh mozzarella balls (small)
Wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Chili oil

METHOD:

1. Wash the lamb’s lettuce, dress in wine vinegar and salt.
2. Heat chili oil and sauté the corn seasoned with salt and pepper.
3. In chili oil, fry well the prawns. Season it with salt and pepper at the end.
4. Cut the tomato in slices.
5. Cut the mozzarella balls in half.
6. On serving plate, make a bed of the lamb’s lettuce. Next make a layer of corn. Put on top the tomato slices. Add the fried prawns as last layer. Top with fresh mozzarella balls.

Orange prawn

I love prawns, easy to cook and very tasty. I enjoy the fact that how I can combine it with different spices and cook it up in different gravies. Moreover it is so little time taking (except the cleaning part). Therefore, it is no wonder that I cook it often. For some time I was planning to cook prawn in a tangy orange sauce. Originally I had got this idea while browsing thought internet searching for interesting prawn recipes. But then I lost the links as I have this habit of never bookmarking the recipes. It was only a vague idea somewhere in the back of my mind that stayed. And then finally a few weeks ago I decided a recipe of my own, gathered the ingredients and prepared the dish. It was special for the festive occasion. And I was pleasantly surprised with the result. It was better than expected. The prawns in the fresh tangy orange sauce with a hint of spiciness were delectable Served with boiled veggies, it made a delicious and simple to cook dinner.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here:  PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)

250g prawns
1sp garlic paste
1sp ginger paste
1sp orange zest
Juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 sp ‘hot & sweet’ sauce
Chili oil
Rice bran oil
Freshly ground pepper
Salt

METHOD:

1. De-shell and de-vein the prawns. Take care to not remove the tails.
2. Heat chili oil in a wok and fry the prawns until golden.
3. Mix the orange juice with soy sauce and ‘hot & sweet’ sauce.
4. In the same wok, heat a little of rice bran oil.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and orange zest.
6. Fry on medium heat for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the mixture of orange juice and sauces.
8. Simmer the gravy for 5-6 mins.
9. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt.
10. In a serving dish put the fried prawns and then pour the gravy over it.

NOTE:
Try to use fresh orange juice to have a natural fresh tangy sweet taste.

Methi Palak Prawn

I made this dish first time for the Durga Puja this year. I planned to cook prawn. It is a fish available here easily, and also simple to cook. Moreover, I really like prawns. My wish was to cook a not common preparation of prawn, and was thinking of making up something on my own. Spinach I thought was a good choice to make the gravy with, something similar to palak (spinach) paneer, a popular Indian dish. However I did not like the idea of using the usual whole cumin seeds. Though I like the flavor of cumin very much and like to put it in almost everything possible, it was puja and I was in mood of trying some new flavors and combinations. Therefore, I decided for fenugreek seeds. It is a seed used in Bengali vegetarian cuisine sometimes along with a few other whole spices or alone. I don’t use it too often and so thought why not give it a try with prawns. I must admit the result was quite surprising. The rich aroma of fenugreek seeds blended perfectly well with the taste of prawns and spinach. A lot of fenugreek and a bunch of spinach worked wonders with the prawns!! It turned out as some unconventional dish that can be cooked when guests are invited.

INGREDIENTS:
500gm prawn
1 bunch spinach (palak) - coarsely chopped
2tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 big tomato - chopped
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Oil

METHOD:
1. Heat oil in pan, enough for both frying prawns and cooking.
2. Fry the prawns until they turn gentle golden, and set aside.
3. In the same oil put fenugreek seeds. When they turn black, take them out.
4. Now in the oil put tomato and spinach together.
5. Add salt, sugar and pepper.
6. Cook in low heat for 5-10 mins so the tomato and spinach get cooked and form gravy like consistency. No water is required.
7. Now add the prawns, mix well and add a few table spoons of water. Cook for another couple of minutes.


NOTE:
This preparation goes well with rice.
Fry the prawns and cook in the same oil, this will give the flavor of the prawn in the preparation.
The fenugreek seeds are taken out after frying, as if left behind it will give a bitter taste when chewed. If you take the seeds out, it gave the flavor without the bitterness, and you can use it in large quantity.
You can add a bunch of fresh fenugreek leaves along with spinch.