A Bengali Favourite: Prawn Malai Curry #ChingriMalaiCurry #TraditionalBengaliDishes #HomeCookedPrawns

If you are a true-blue Bong, you love fish and prawns. 

And prawns in a flavourful, mildly-spiced coconut milk gravy is something Bengalis are always ready for. It is a part of our glorious culinary tradition - a Ghoti delicacy that finds a lot of favour with Bangals too. 

The malai is, as you guessed, the thick coconut milk, that gives texture and taste to this dish. Here the influence of coastal cuisine or East-Asian culinary practices are evident on Bangla cooking. But compared to the South Indian or Thai ways of using coconut milk in fish gravies, Bengalis don't temper it with curry leaves or kaffir lime leaves, neither do we use tamarind pulp as souring agent. Our malai curry is slightly sweetish in taste, with the aroma of cardamom, cloves and cinnamon flavouring the tiger prawns in a unique manner.

No single recipe for Prawn Malai Curry can boast of being the best. Each household has it's own version, and members swear it is the best. Some prefer it cooked with onion, ginger and garlic; some like it simply in a thick coconutty gravy, mildly spiced with ginger paste and whole spices.

I am giving my recipe of Chingri Malai Curry below, that I have combined with my mother's and mother-in-law's versions.

Prawn (Chingri) Malai Curry (serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

Medium sized "golda" prawns, or large sized Tiger (bagda) prawns : 3-400 gms, cleaned, deveined, and steamed in water with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Or you can mix the prawns with turmeric and salt and lightly fry them.

Coconut : 1/2 large or 1 small, grated
(You can substitute this with one full cup of readymade coconut milk, though the actual thing tastes better)

Onions : 1 Large, grated
Ginger : 1 inch, made into a fine paste
Garlic(optional) : 3-4 cloves, grated
Cardamom : 4-5
Cloves : 4-5
Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 pieces
Bay Leaf: 1
Turmeric, chilli, coriander-cumin powder: 1/4 teaspoons each

Ghee: 1 Tablespoon
White oil : 1 Tablespoon
Sugar: 1 Teaspoon
Salt to taste

Let's get started:

1. Take the grated coconut in a muslin cloth, tie it and soak the same in warm water. Squeeze the milk out of the scraping in this manner. You will get about a cup coconut milk.
2. Heat ghee and white oil in a pan or skillet, and add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks and bay leaf to it. 
3. When it emits a fragrant smell, add the grated onion. Keep the flame low so that ghee doesn't smoke. Fry the onions till light brown.
4. Now add the ginger paste, mixed with turmeric, chilli and coriander-cumin powder, to the fried onion paste in the pan.
5. Keep stirring, adding slight water so that the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.
6. Now add the steamed or fried prawns, and keep stirring. Add a little water, sugar and salt.
7. Once the raw smell of ginger is gone, add the coconut milk. You can add a little of the coconut scraping too. It helps to give a texture to the gravy.
8. Keep the flame low, after adding coconut milk or it will curdle.
9. Cover with a lid and let the prawns cook in the coconut milk for ten minutes. Add a little water if it gets dry.
10. After ten minutes, check taste and remove from fire. Add 1/4 teaspoon ghee if you want.

Prawn malai curry is ready to be served with steaming rice. 

Note: It tastes better the next day, if stored in the fridge. The spices and coconut flavour get enhanced. Heat it thoroughly on low flame before serving.