Chingri Malai Curry (Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk)

My favorite time pass is going to a library or a book store. I love looking around at the thousands of books. To think so many people have read them and shared them. Every book tells a story and there are so many. I finished my Sherlock Holmes volume last week and now I am reading a book by Stephanie Saldana. It's called - A Country Between. It is about a couple who start their married life in Jerusalem. Between war and a baby boy, the author continues living in that place because that is what makes her feel like home. And isn’t that what we are all looking for? A place where we feel we are ourselves. This is a serious book and as much as I like reading it, I prefer taking breaks and reading something else. Today as I was walking around in the aisles, I instinctively turned towards the food section. The first book which caught my attention had a beautiful picture of Shrimp Scampi Pasta on the cover and I thought, I should complete and publish that article on Shrimp Malai Curry which has been lying in my drafts for the last several days. 

As a Bengali, I am quite used to having seafood. However, when to comes to preparing it, I am still a novice. I am not fond of the smell while cooking it and especially when it lingers long after. I keep the vent on and the scented candles burning but fish will always have a fishy smell. Plus, it takes me ages to clean a piece of fish. I am lucky that Debarshi is always there to do these chores for me. However, it also means that I will never be able to surprise him by cooking a fish curry on my own.

But there is something I can prepare on my own, which cooks easily and quickly and comes pre-cleaned. I am talking about – Shrimp and that is why, I love Shrimp! I love adding it in stir-fries, pastas and curries. I usually get a frozen bag of shrimp and thaw a few pieces whenever I want. With the convenience of having peeled and deveined shrimp at hand, making dishes with it is an easy job. So, when Debarshi’s mom asked if she could make this Malai curry I was super happy. Now before we move on to the recipe, let’s discuss it first.

Chingri is the Bengali name for shrimp. In this recipe, we will be using some commonly used whole spices like Bay leaf, Cinnamon, Cloves, Green Cardamom, Mace and Red pepper pods. The special creamy taste and delicate flavors will be developed by using coconut milk and heavy cream. This dish will have a thick curry making it ideal to serve for special occasions. I prepared this Malai curry to celebrate Jamai Shosthi this year (This is an auspicious day to celebrate the son-in law of the family. On this day, the mother -in law prepares different types of authentic meals for their son-in law.  The day is celebrated within the family in a grand way. The son-in law is given gifts and served authentic foods to make him feel welcome and special to the family. Since we are living away from our parents, I make sure to fulfil my mom’s duties every year by preparing something special for Debarshi).

Shrimp Malai curry is quite a traditional and popular Bengali dish. Although I have just learned the recipe, I have had it several times during our Bengali get-together parties. This delicious aromatic curry goes best with steamed rice so I wont suggest you to serve this with anything else.

Strangely I was of the impression that preparing this curry is a whole lot of work. Well, it isn’t! You just have to follow the steps as they are, because those directions develop all those amazing flavors.

I think today with readymade coconut milk/ pulp and food processors our life has become so easy. A couple decades back when there were no such gadgets and canned foods weren’t readily available, everything was done by manual labor. Our moms and grand moms used to do such much extra work! Hats off to you ladies and lots of thanks to you for preparing these delicious labor intensive meals for all those years.

Make sure to get the peeled and deveined shrimp from the store. Otherwise if you are not an expert in cleaning (like me) then that will unnecessary add a lot of work.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp -22, jumbo, peeled and deveined (if frozen thaw them first)
• Salt – to taste (½ teaspoon for curry plus ¼ teaspoon for seasoning)
• Turmeric – 1 teaspoon for curry + ¼ teaspoon for seasoning
• Mustard oil – 2 tablespoons
• Bay leaf – 4, small
• Cinnamon – ½, small stick
• Cloves – 4
• Green cardamom – 4
• Mace – 2 blades
• Red pepper pods – 2
• Onion – ½
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Green Chili – 3-4
• Garlic – 3 cloves
• Canola oil – 2 tablespoons
• Tomatoes – ¼ cup, diced or pureed
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Sugar – ½ tablespoon + ½ teaspoon (for later – optional)
• Heavy Cream – 4 tablespoons
• Coconut – 1 cup milk or ½ cup coconut pulp
• Nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon
• Ghee – 1 teaspoon
• Garam Masala – ¼ teaspoon

Tip: Got coconut flakes? No problem. Make a paste with ½ cup milk and use in the recipe.

Preparation: Make a paste of Onion, Ginger, Green Chili and Garlic.

Directions:

• Season the shrimp with ¼ teaspoon each of turmeric powder and salt.
• Heat a non-stick pan over high heat.
• Add the Mustard oil in it. When it starts smoking, reduce the heat to medium high and add the shrimp in it one by one. It should be in a single layer.
• Fry till the shrimp turns light pink in color.

Tips:

• If the oil jumps, add a little turmeric powder in it and stir to mix.
• If you are using Colossal shrimp (which we Bengalis call Golda Chingri), make sure to stick a toothpick or skewer across the head and tail to straighten the pieces while frying.
• Use a non-stick pan to avoid any sticking.

• Reduce the heat to low. Add 2 tablespoons of the Onion, Ginger, Green Chili and Garlic paste (we made earlier) in the pan.
• Fry the paste with the shrimp and mix it well.
• After 2-3 minutes add ½ cup of water in it. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the shrimp on a plate and transfer the spiced stock in a different bowl. Keep them aside.

• Next let’s make the curry. Use a clean pan/ pot for this step or clean the one you are using right now with water and a paper towel.
• Heat it on medium heat.
• Add the canola oil.
• Add the whole spices (Bay leaf, Cinnamon, Cloves, Green cardamom, Mace and 
• Red pepper pods) in it.
• Add the rest of Onion, Ginger, Green Chili and Garlic paste with Salt, Turmeric, Tomatoes, Red Chili Powder and Sugar.
• Fry for a few minutes, when the mixture looks dry add the reserved stock.
• Increase the heat to medium high.
• Add the heavy cream. Mix together.
• Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk/ pulp. Cover and Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the shrimp. Stir to mix.
• Grate the nutmeg.
• Add the Ghee, Garam Masala and Sugar (optional). Mix together. Cover and Cook for 5 minutes.

Chingri (Shrimp) Malai Curry is ready! Serve with Basmati rice and enjoy!

Some more recipes with Shrimp:

• Quick Weeknight Dinner - Shrimp Stir Fry
• Buttery Lemony Garlicky Shrimp Scampi Pasta
• Grilled Salmon with Shrimp and Peppers
• Keto Pizza with Shrimp and Basil Pesto
• Chow Mein recipe
• Keto Pizza with grilled Chicken and Shrimp
• Creole Jambalaya - a quintessential New Orleans classic dish
• Chingri Alur Dalna (Shrimp and Potatoes Gravy)
• Grilled Shrimp Plate with Fire Roasted Corn Salsa
• Jalapeno Shrimp

Recommended Reading:

• Kacha Aamer Ombol (Bengali chutney with Unripe Mango)
• Shorshe Diye Bata Mach (Bengali recipe: Fish in Mustard Gravy)
• Ilish Macher Matha/ Muro Diye Dal (Yellow Lentils with Fish Head)
• Buying and Preparing Shrimp
• Bhapa Ilish
• Bengali Tomato Chatni (chutney) With Dried Fruits