Name: Chingri Malai Curry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Bangladeshi
Ingredients: 500 g raw king prawns, peeled; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp salt; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp ghee; 1 bay leaf; 2 g green cardamom pods; 3 g cinnamon stick; 1 g cloves; 1 onion, about 150 g, blended to a paste; 1 tbsp ginger paste; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp sugar; 2 green chillies, slit; 400 ml coconut milk; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp garam masala; 1 tbsp ghee, to finish

Chingri Malai Curry

Prawns simmered in a gentle sauce of coconut milk, onion, ginger and whole spices with a spoonful of ghee, a Bengali favourite.

45 min total Serves 4 servings Medium

Why This Is Worth Making

The first sign it is ready is the smell: ghee and whole spices, warm and sweet, with the faint scent of coconut underneath. Chingri malai curry is the Bengali prawn dish for weddings, birthdays and Sunday lunch, and it tastes richer than it looks.

Large prawns are best. Use king prawns, peeled, with the tail left on if you like the look. Marinate them for 10 minutes in turmeric and salt, then brown lightly in mustard oil or vegetable oil, just 1 minute on each side, and set aside. The browning is a Bengali habit, and it gives the prawns a firm texture and a faint nutty flavour. Do not cook them through at this stage. They finish in the sauce.

The sauce starts with whole spices in ghee (bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves), then an onion paste cooked until golden, then ginger paste, turmeric, sugar, chilli. Coconut milk goes in and simmers for 8 minutes.

Return the prawns and cook for 4 minutes. Finish with a spoonful of ghee and a pinch of garam masala, off the heat. The curry should be pale golden, glossy and mild.

What to Put on the Table With Chingri Malai Curry

Steamed rice
Pulao
Luchi
Sliced cucumber

How to Cook Chingri Malai Curry

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Toss the prawns with the first measure of turmeric and salt. Heat the oil and cook the prawns for 1 minute on each side. Remove.
Heat the 2 tbsp ghee. Add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves for 20 seconds. Add the onion paste and cook for 6 minutes until golden.
Add the ginger paste, second measure of turmeric, sugar and green chillies and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and salt and simmer for 8 minutes.
Return the prawns and cook for 4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the garam masala and the final tablespoon of ghee.

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Notes From the Method

Do not overcook the prawns.

Keep the heat gentle once the coconut milk is in.

Use full-fat coconut milk.

Changing the Recipe

If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Keeping What's Left

Best eaten the day it is made. Keeps in the fridge for 1 day.