Choto Chingrir Kalia: Bengali Prawn Curry

Bengali Styled Prawn Curry/Choto Chingrir Kalia

The other day when I went to our neibourhood bazaar, the fish wala insisted me on buying a half kilo of prawn, even though he knew that I hardly buy prawn and even if I buy, it never exceeds 200 gms.The reason I asked? And he said the prawn are fresh and are dirt cheap @ Rs 200/kilo and I would need to shell out only a hundred bucks. I remember having remarked "insane" but ended up buying the entire amount of prawns.


So, there was the dilemma.What to do with it especially with only the two of us in the house and the wife being allergic to prawns.The first contribution of prawn to the kitchen was a mild mix of Cabbage with prawn [Badhakopi - Chingri] which I mopped up quite efficiently. 


But another 300 gms of prawns were remaining.And I was left with some experimentation.
So, when I returned from office one day,I decided to cook a fiery hot onion-tomato and garam masala based prawn curry.It is prepared on the lines of "Katla Macher Kalia" and needless to say, I was very satisfied with the outcome.

And soon I was defrosting the prawn - chopping onions-making pastes of garlic and the overall process which is mentioned here:

Preparation Time: 10 mins.
Preparation:

• Prawn-300 gms.
• Tumeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - To Taste
• Mustard Oil - 5 tsps.

Procedure:

• Lightly coat the prawns with turmermic powder and some salt and keep aside for 5 mins.
• Heat some oil in a pan
• When the oil gets hot, fry the prawn pieces for maximum 2-3 mins, when they acquire a golden colour.
• Keep aside the prawn pieces on a tissue paper to drain the extra oil.

Tip:

• Do not over fry prawns because that renders them real hard and they tend to become fibrous.
• The left oil used for frying the prawns can be used for preparing the curry.

Cooking Time: 30-40 mins.
Cooking:
Ingredients:

• Onion - 3 medium sized onions(150 gms). Dice half of the onion and make a paste of the other half.
• Tomato - 1 (50 gms). Deseeded and made into a paste.
• Garlic - 1 clove. Crushed
• Ginger - One 1/2 inch piece. Crushed.
• Green Chillies - Spicy ones, 3-4 pieces,slit.

Whole Spices:

• Green Cardamon - 3 pcs
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch 
• Cloves - couple of them.
• Dry red chilli - 2 
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Powdered Spices:

• Tumeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp.Enhances the colour.
• Coriander Powder - 1.5 tsp.

Other 

• Sugar - 1/4th tsp.
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat the left over oil in the pan.
• Add the whole spices. Once they start to crackle - the aroma should indicateit - add:the crushed garlic, ginger and the diced onion pieces and the sugar.
• When the onions starts to turn brownish; add the tomato paste, onion paste,powdered spices and turn the oven to high heat.
• The curry will starting acquiring a dark reddish colour due to the kashmiri mirch powder and it will turn thick.
• Add the salt now and stir the curry.
• When oil starts separating from the mix, add some warm water and turn the oven to low.
• Include the fried prawns at the same time and cover the pan with a lid.
• Let it cook for 15 mins, under low heat so that the juices from the prawn pieces permeate in the mixture and the curry acquires a uniform taste.
• After 15 mins, add the slit green chillies.

Serve with rice.
Had some of my colleagues who tasted it and they liked it!