Chingri Malai Curry
A Bengali prawn curry whose name is genuinely misleading: 'malai' is popularly assumed to mean dairy cream, but the more credible account traces it to a folk corruption of 'Malay,' reflecting how the coconut-milk cooking technique likely reached Bengal through contact with Malay and Southeast Asian traders. The dish contains no dairy cream at all, its richness coming entirely from coconut milk. It became a prestige, wedding-banquet dish and was also popular among British colonials in Calcutta. Real chingri malai curry uses large tiger or river prawns, whole garam masala fried in mustard oil, whose sharp flavor is a genuine Bengali marker, and only a touch of sugar to balance the coconut milk's richness.
⚠ Contains: Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 500g large tiger prawns, cleaned
- 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
- 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 green chiles, slit
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp sugar
Steps
- Season the prawns with turmeric and salt, and lightly sear in mustard oil. Set aside.
- In the same oil, fry the whole spices, then add the onion and cook until golden.
- Stir in the ginger paste and turmeric, then add the coconut milk and green chiles.
- Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, then add the sugar.
- Return the prawns to the pan and simmer just until cooked through.
- Serve with steamed rice.