SARSHE NARKOLE BHAPA CHINGRI (MUSTARD AND COCONUT STEAMED PRAWNS) BY SOUMYASHREE CHATTERJEE

IMAGE CREDIT: SOUMYASHREE CHATTERJEE 

Sarshe narkole bhapa Chingri (Mustard and coconut steamed prawns)

When you travel to the city of joy, be prepared for a overload on your taste buds, sweet or hot, Kolkata will dish you with dishes that will make you go dil mange more. Bongs as they often proudly call themselves are connoisseurs  of fish whether they be of the fin variety or the shell fish. The colloquial Chingri macher malai curry or prawn cooked in coconut milk often is referred to as Malaya curry as some say it originated in those lands. But the heart and soul of many especially if he be from what was once east Bengal is Shorse Chingri or Prawn cooked in Mustard. This journey is about Shorshe Chingri may be not from  the classics but from the best source I know, Mother’s kitchen

To make this delectable dish we need the following :

Prawns (500 gms if deshelled and deveined)

Mustard paste (4 heaped teaspoons, may be adjusted as per the quality of the paste and your tatse)

Grated coconut (100 to 150 gm)

Mustard oil (as per requirement)

Green Chilli (7-8 or more depending on how spicy you want)

Tomatoes (1 big chopped into small bits)

Red chilli powder (2 tsp)

Turmeric (1 tsp)

Ginger paste (1 tsp)

Corinader powder and salt (to taste)

Preparing the ingredients

Prawns: while a lot of people like to have their prawns with the heads on it is the head and the gut in a prawn which holds all root that lead to sickness. So while cleaning the prawn deshelling and deheading the prawn and removing the tiny black thread like gut or what is called the vein is the best way to enjoy prawns with minimum worry of a tummy problem later. My suggestion, go for a frozen prawn from a good brand. Frozen prawns need something called thawing which should be systematically done from best results. Leaving the prawn from the freezer overnight in the normal trays usually does the trick for me. Lazy me often forgets and a quick fix is to cut the packet and drop the frozen prawns in a bowl filled with water, and then leave it under the tap with just more than a trickle falling from the tap, overflowing the vessel for about 15 20 mnts. Once the prawn is thawed and soft go ahead with cooking. Word of caution whether fresh of the market or a frozen one-do take care to thoroughly wash the prawns before you start cooking.

Mustard paste: This is the most critical ingredient in making the dish after the prawns and due care is to be taken with this. There are some readymade varieties of the paste. But the best is the one that is made fresh. Grind a bit of mustard, using mustard oil to smoothen the grinding. A fine line is to be maintained so that it doesn’t get bitter.

Let’s get cooking

Marination:

In a large bowl after thoroughly cleaning the prawns add a teaspoon of ginger paste, a teaspoon of coriander powder a teaspoon of turmeric an two teaspoons of redchilli powder. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients. Now add the mustard paste at least 4 heaped teaspoons to the mix followed by the grated coconut. Depending on how thick You want the gravy to be you can add upto 150 gms maybe a bit more. Thoroughly mix this again along with the tomato. Now add mustard oil while mixing this till you have smooth consistency (would be about 1 table spoon). You will know it’s enough when the smell of the mustard is stronger than the smell of the prawnsJ. Stick the green chillies half broken through the entire mix and leave to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cooking:

If You are in a hurry, you can transfer the entire mix onto a pressure cooker add just a dash of watera spriling of salt to taste and steam it for one whistle. Let the steam out and voila Your dish is ready. For the real food lover using a water bath is the best option. You can use a big wok or pan to create a water bath by filling it with water and heating it on a slow fire. Once the water is warm transfer the marinated mix onto a metal vessel that is pretty high so that he boiling water will not enter from the bath and a good amount of steam can form inside the container. Add a sprinkling of salt, cover it and let it steam for about 20 minutes.

Serving the dish and enjoying it

A white coloured vessel is ideally suited to plate this as it brings out the yellow of the mustard green of the chillies and red of the tomatoes in good contrast. Garnishing with fresh green chillies can be done.

A Bengali swears by this dish and I hope it titillates your taste buds when you try it but before you try it I will let you into my mother’s best kept secret to rock this dish. She says while it’s  important to get the basics of the quantity and ingredients right, what is important to make this dish or in fact any other dish taste yum, is put in a bit of smile and a dash of love over and above the right mix of the ingredients while cooking, everything will turn out just grand. So happy slobbering over the prawns.


 Note: This is the authors way of cooking this dish. The author Does not make any Representation that this is the right, Only and/or authentic way to cook this dish. Everyone is Free to make his/her Interpretation and adjustment to the dish.