Chingri Malai Kari

Name: Chingri Malai Kari
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g/7 oz onions, roughly chopped; 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup mustard oil; 2 tbsp ghee; salt, to taste; 20–24 tiger or freshwater prawns/shrimp, shelled and deveined with the tails left on; 1 bay leaf; 4 green cardamom pods; 4–6 cloves; 6 cm/2¼ in cinnamon stick; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 20 g/¾ oz/4 tsp ginger paste; handful of chopped fresh coriander/cilantro; ½ tsp Bengali Garam Masala (store-bought); 75 g/2½ oz/generous ¼ cup plain yogurt; 300 ml/10½ fl oz/1¼ cups coconut milk; 6 green chillies, slit; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 2–3 dried red chillies

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Yatra

By Rohit Ghai

Published 2025

About

This iconic Bengali curry of black tiger prawns/shrimp or freshwater prawns cooked in a subtle, creamy coconut-milk sauce is very quick and easy to make. It’s versatile too – you can swap out the prawns for white fish, if you prefer.

Ingredients

20–24 tiger or freshwater prawns/shrimp, shelled and deveined with the tails left on
1 tsp ground t

Asia
India
West Bengal
Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

Place the prawns in a bowl along with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon of the turmeric. Set aside to marinate.

Place the onions in a food processor along with a splash of water and blitz to a fine paste. Set aside.

Heat the mustard oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the marinated prawns and sauté briefly for just 1–2 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and se