Chingri malai curry also known as prawn malai curry, is a Bengali curry made from prawns and coconut milk and flavoured with spices. The dish is popular throughout Bengal and is served during weddings and celebrations, or for guests, and was also very popular among the British in Calcutta.
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| Chingri Malai Curry Recipe - foodtastify |
Ingredients:
Tiger prawns (peeled and deveined) : 1 pound
Coconut milk : ½ cup
Tomato (chopped) : ½ cup
Water : 1 cup
Cinnamon stick (1 inch) : 3 pieces
Cinnamon stick (1 and a ½ inch) : 2 pieces
Whole clove : 7 pieces
Green cardamom pod : 4 pieces
Onion (grated) : 1 piece
Cardamom seeds : ¼ teaspoon
Ginger paste : 1 and a ¼ teaspoons
Garlic paste : 1 and a ¼ teaspoons
Ground turmeric : ½ teaspoon
Cayenne pepper : ¼ teaspoon
Ghee (clarified butter) : 1 teaspoon
Vegetable oil : 2 tablespoons
Instructions:
Prepare the fresh garam masala; in a coffee grinder, grind the cardamom seeds, 3 whole cloves, and 3 cinnamon sticks to a fine powder. Set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the 4 whole cloves, 4 cardamom pods, and 2 sticks of cinnamon and fry for a few seconds.
Stir in the grated onion and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook and stir until the liquid dries and the onion no longer smells raw, about 5 minutes.
Add the ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in the turmeric and cayenne pepper. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the water, cover the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and stir well. When the mixture is just below boiling, stir in the prawns. Sprinkle the mixture with almost all of the fresh garam masala powder, reserving a pinch to use as a garnish. Gently stir to combine. Do not cover the pan at this stage, as the coconut milk will curdle.
As soon as the prawns are pink and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, add the ghee. Remove the pan from the heat.
Sprinkle the reserved garam masala over the dish and serve.
