Chingri Malaikari or Chingri Maachher Malai-curry is a delicious Bengali dish. Perhaps, the housewives of Bengali homes are the best cooks of this authentic Kolkata recipe. However, some of the authentic Bengali restaurants of Calcutta, such as Aheli and Kewpie's have Chingri Malaikari on their menu. It is a preparation of tiger prawns with coconut. This dish is differently cooked by many. While some insist on adding coconut milk others prefer to add grated coconut directly without extracting the milk. Cooking Chingri Malaikari is easy and here is how you should cook it.
Ingredients Required for Chingri Malaikari
Tiger Prawns: 10 to 12 medium sized prawns lightly fried.
Coconut Milk: Milk of one Coconut
Turmeric Powder: 2 teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 2 teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
Sugar: 1 and ˝ Tea spoon
Salt: to taste
Ginger paste: 1 table spoon
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Bay Leaves: 1
Green Cardamoms: 2
Cinnamon Sticks: 2
Plain Yougurt: ˝ cup
Ghee (Optional): 2 teaspoon
Mustard Seed Paste (Optional)
Garam Masala Powder: for flavoring
Oil for Cooking
Preparation of Chingri Malaikari
Clean and shell the prawns but reserve the heads. Marinate them in turmeric and add a pinch of salt. Make a paste of the turmeric powder, cumin powder, chili powder, sugar and ginger. Heat oil in a deep pan and add the dry spices including bay leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. Immediately add the paste of spices and sauté lightly. Add the tiger prawns and let it cook for a while. Ensure that the prawns dip well into the spice. Then add the coconut milk, ghee and mustard paste. Cover the cooking pan and let it cook for about ten to fifteen minutes or till it becomes tender. Add garam masala powder for taste and smell. Serve hot with steaming basmati rice.
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