Chingri Macher Malai is a classic Bengali dish. It’s really creamy (from the coconut milk and desiccated coconut we use), tangy, spicy and sweet and all of these notes of flavour are balanced out excellently.
Why this recipe is a star?
- Easy and quick: Compared to a lot of other curries (like my Bengali chicken curry or my Bengali lamb chops curry), this Bengali shrimp curry is actually surprisingly simple to assemble. The only real time consuming part is cleaning up the prawns!
- Creamy, spicy, sweet and tangy: It is creamy from the coconut milk, tangy from the tomato paste, sweet from the sugar we use and spicy from the dried chillis and masala. All of these flavour notes work in harmony with eachother.
If you’re looking for another prawn recipe, then my indo-chinese chilli dragon prawns, are great.
What is Chingri Macher Malai?
It is simply a coconut and tomato-based prawn curry, that is a staple in Bengali households and for me, brings back lots of childhood memories.
This meal was something my mum made as a treat and I would be so over the moon when it was being cooked as I am a huge fan of prawns!
Its origins are a little debated, but the general theory is that this curry was bought over from Malaysian traders and sailors who used various trade routes (including the silk road) that linked to Bengal. Hidden in these transactions were a series of cross cultural exchanges, during which the Bengalis took inspiration from Malaysian cuisine and vice versa. It was this historic trade that saw the birth of coconut based curry dishes, like this one.
Indeed, some argue that the word ‘Malai’ actually denotes to the Malaysian influence of the dish.
If you’re familiar with Malaysian food you will know it is heavily influenced by the Indian subcontinent and a huge South-Asian diaspora lives in that part of the world.
Expert tips?
- King prawns: This recipe works best with big juicy prawns so, if you have access to a fish market pay them a visit and get yourself some king prawns or prawns that are bigger in size.
- Sugar: Don’t skip out on the sugar element of this dish. We literally use the tiniest amount but my god, it ties the whole dish together and balances out the spice really well.
- Onion garlic paste: The onion and garlic paste is very important in this dish and will make the curry super silky and rich, so don’t skip this step. You will see that the paste is a light green colour and that is because we also add green chillies to our paste.
Variations and Substitutions
- Prawn malai curry without coconut milk: You can also use this recipe without coconut milk and instead substitute the coconut milk for either yoghurt or cream. Once you have fried your aromatics, onion paste, spices and tomatoes you can add the yoghurt or cream. If you are opting for yoghurt, ensure that you stir vigorously when you add the yoghurt as you don’t want the yoghurt to split when combined with the oil and the rest of the ingredients.
How to store?
You can store this in the fridge and it will last up to three days.
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Chingri Macher Malai (Bengali Prawn Curry)
This is a classic Bengali dish. It’s really creamy (from the coconut milk and desiccated coconut), tangy, spicy and sweet and all of these notes of flavour are balanced out excellently.
Equipment
- medium sized fry pan or wok
Ingredients
- 15 / 17 king prawns
Onion paste ingredients
- 1 whole red onion or half, if you have a larger one!
- 2 whole green chillis or more if you want to make this curry spicier
- 2 slices ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3½ tbsp dessicated coconut
Marinating prawns
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
Cooking prawn curry ingredients
Aromatics
- 3 pods cardamom
- ½ bark cinnamon
- 1 whole dried chillies
- 3 whole cloves
Rest of curry ingredients
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tsp tomato paste diluted with a splash of water
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and devein your prawns. You can do this according to how you prefer your prawn. Traditionally, this dish is made leaving the prawn head, shell and ends on. Once cleaned, marinate your prawns in turmeric and salt and give it a really good mix. You should have some of the flesh exposed (even with the shell on), so make sure you rub some of that turmeric into the prawn flesh. Place those marinated prawns to the side.
- Roughly chop up your onion and slice your green chillies. In a blender add your chopped onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger (you can use garlic and ginger paste, if preferred) and dessicated coconut. Blend until you have a smooth texture. If you're having difficulty getting the ingredients to blend well together, add a splash of water to help loosen it all up. Put your diluted tomato paste together by combining your tomato paste and a splash of water. Give a good stir.Place your coconut chilli paste and diluted tomato paste to the side.
Cooking your curry
- In a hot wok, karahi or medium sized pan, fry your prawns for a minute on each side. You can fry it in either ghee or a neutral oil. Place those fried prawns to the side.
- In the same pan, add in a little bit more ghee (if required), and toast all of your aromatics until you get a fragrance. Once fragrant, add in three tablespoons of your coconut paste and allow that to cook for two or so minutes on a medium heat. This needs to cook properly, but not burn - it's to make sure the onions, ginger and garlic aren't raw!
- Add in your diluted tomato paste and mix well together. You should also let that cook and combine for around a minute or so on a medium heat. Add in all of the listed spices and combine really well and let that cook for a further 2 minutes or so.
- Add in around a cup of coconut milk (but, if you want to add more go for it because some people like this dish super coconutty and less spicy.)Optional: at this stage you can also add in some chopped green chillis for a spicier kick.
- Add in your sugar - this is essential to balance out the curry. Check the gravy and at this stage, add salt to taste, but note that when you add your prawns, it will add more salt.
- Once it has reached a simmer, add in all of your prawns and let that cook for a further 10 minutes. It should reduce to a nice rich gravy.
Notes
the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
Calories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 23gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 202mgSodium: 2112mgPotassium: 382mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 556IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 3mg
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Love this!