Chingri Sorsey Bhape- Steamed Prawns in Mustard Paste

Prawns and Hilsa.

Steamed Prawns/Chingri Sorsey Bhapey

Symbolises that everlasting fight between the Ghoti(Bengalis whose origin was in India) and Bangals(Bengalis whose roots were in Bangladesh and they came to India during partition). Whereas both tickle the taste buds of any bengali, yet on a personal level I feel that a tasty Hilsa can outdo multiple prawn dishes any time of the day. But the point here is prawn - Chingri Bhanpey or Steamed Prawns in Mustard Paste and hence forth in this post, it will be prawns all the way from here on.

The market is flooded with a variety of Prawns(Chingri in Bengali)

• Kucho - The smallest ones on offer
• Choto - Small ones
• Bagda - Bigger that the choto chingri.
• Galda - Greenish Blue in colour with big heads. 

There are others too but primarily in a regular Bengali fish market you will find the above four.

The recipe mentioned below is with "choto" chingri - its easy to prepare and on the lines of "Ilish" Bhape and uses the same marinade. How to get the prawn sized up for cooking is very important.There is a "gland" that secreates an oily creamy material on steaming - that gland needs to be got rid of else the gravy will all be oily and affect the taste.

Ingredients:

• Prawns- 6-8
• Mustard Seed Paste - 3 tsp
• Mustard Oil - 4 table spoon.Don't frown, this is going to enhance the taste.
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp.
• Whisked Curd - 3 tbl spoon.
• Green Chillies - 4-5 Slit
• Salt - To taste

Preparation/Marinade:

• Clean the prawns under running water and pat them dry.
• Give them a light coating of sat and turmeric powder and 1 tbl spoon of mustard oil.
• Keep aside for 10-12 mins.

Cooking:

• In a box, add the prawns and all the other ingredients as mentioned above. Mix them thoroughly. Cover the box with a lid so that the mixture inside remains air tight.
• In low heat, put the box in a kadai containing water. As the temperature of the water rises, the mixture in the box will get heated and will get cooked in its own steam. Let it cook for 40-45 minutes after which the prawns should be done.It tastes best with steamed rice. 

Serve hot.