Nothing can stop a Bengali from his or her love for fish. So, how long could I refrain myself from my adventure with fish? Hence, here is my first fish recipe post – Shorshe Bhapa Chingri or Steamed prawn curry in mustard sauce.
Although, we all know prawn is not a fish but an insect. However, the magnificent taste of prawns has convinced all the fish and seafood lovers to do away with the reluctance and accept this insect as an integral part of our not only cuisine but also culture. But, probably to avoid the embarrassment of having insects which is not a usual practice in many culture, prawn has been provided with the recognition equivalent to fish. Hence, during our usual day to day conversation in Bengali, we do not refer prawn as ‘Chingri Poka’ (insect) but we always refer it as ‘Chingri Maach’ (fish).
The use of Prawn in Bengali cuisine can be referred to, as old as 16th century text Mukundaram Chakravarti’s Chandimangal, a most significant text of medieval Bengali literature mostly eulogizing goddess Chandi/ Durga.
There are many ways Bengalis use Prawn in their cuisine. It is even cooked with regular vegetables like, pumpkin, cabbage, ash gourd where the fish (I will also refer prawn as fish and not insect!) completely blends with the vegetables without overpowering the taste. However, there are many dishes in Bengali where prawn is the main ingredient, like, Prawn or Chingri Malai curry (prawn cooked in coconut milk), Doi Chingri (prawn cooked in spices along with curd), Daab Chingri (prawn cooked in coconut shell and also served in coconut shell) etc.
Shorshe Bhaapa Chingri is also a kind of dish where prawn is the main ingredient and it is cooked or rather steamed with mustard and grated coconut paste along with ginger and coconut milk. The process is comparatively healthy where there is no requirement to deep fry the prawns or rather frying the prawns. Only a little bit of kachi ghani mustard oil is added to the gravy to add pungency.
Though the name ‘Shorshe Bhaapa Chingri’ sounds little complicated, but this prawn curry is actually easier to make than our regular dishes and is less time consuming. Even the effort required is also minimal. Put the ingredients together to steam on low flame, forget about it for 15 -20 minutes and enjoy your cup of coffee. Once it is cooked the rich aroma of prawn and its gravy will anyway make you leave everything and pull you to the kitchen. While this happens, please hold on to your excitement for a while and let the curry rest for 5 minutes so that you can have the magical dish in its best form.
Don’t drool and start cooking 😋
Recipe: Steamed Prawn Curry In Mustard Sauce Or Shorshe Bhapa Chingri
Preparation Time: 5 – 7 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes on low flame Equipment used: One mixing bowl, one stainless steel tiffin box, one vessel for boiling water, mixer grinder
Ingredients:
- 250 gram medium sized prawns (head cut, retaining the outer shells)
- ½ tablespoon black mustard seeds
- ½ tablespoon white mustard seeds
- 1 cup grated fresh coconut
- 2 green chillies
- ½ inch ginger
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ & ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon mustard oil
- Coconut water/nariyal pani taken out from fresh coconut
Method:
- Wash the prawn pieces properly
- Add black mustard seeds, white mustard seeds, grated coconut, 1 green chilly, ginger in a grinder
- Add coconut water to the above mentioned ingredients and grind the ingredients to form a thick paste
- Add the ground mustard paste to the washed prawn pieces and mix them
- Add coconut milk to the above mixture
- Add turmeric powder, salt and 1 tablespoon mustard oil to the prawn mix
- Mix the ingredients again with hand
- Now pour the entire mixture in a stainless steel tiffin box, add a slit green chilli, and close the lid.
- Now add some water in a large bowl, put the closed tiffin box in the bowl with water and let it cook on low flame for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the curry rest for 5 minutes before you open.
- Open the tiffin box and add around one teaspoon mustard oil for added flavour
Wash the prawn pieces properly
Add mustard, grated coconut, green chilly and ginger paste.
Add coconut milk.
Add turmeric powder, mustard oil and salt.
Mix the ingredients properly with hand. Then transfer the prawn mix to a stainless steel tiffin box and add a slit green chilli.
Close the lid of the tiffin box and put it in a container with water. Let it cook for 20 minutes on low flame.
Once done, rest it for 5 minutes. Then open the tiffin box and add 1 teaspoon mustard oil.
Tips:
- You can prepare the entire dish even with white mustard seeds. However, black mustard seeds add to the pungent taste
- Cook with less salt. If the salt is less you can add salt towards the end. But, there is no solution if the salt is already more. In my case I have put ½ teaspoon salt while mixing the ingredient and ¼ spoon salt at the end after tasting the gravy
- Cook the gravy in low flame. In between, don’t open the lid of the tiffin box to check. The best indicator is aroma. Once the gravy is cooked you can smell the aroma of the cooked ingredients
- You can have Shorshe Bhapa chingri or Steamed Prawn in Mustard Sauce with roti, naan etc. But, it is best tasted with hot steamed rice.
