If you live in Bengal, or simply admire their cuisine, then you know that Chingri Malaikari (Prawn Malai Curry) is an iconic treat. You can cook this dish for lunch, dinner or any special occasion. Its subtle, creamy flavours are achieved using a mix of spices and coconut milk, which compliment the tiger prawns in spades. This recipe may seem tricky but don’t be fooled, it’s probably easier than you think.
Bengali Prawn Malai Curry
By now you know that India is the spice capital of the world, and trading was, and is still prevalent. Now, what does that have to do with this dish? Most people think that the ‘Malai’ curry is named because of the use of coconut milk as it’s base, which is partly true. However, this actually happened over time.
In reality, Bengali people first named this curry because of the Malay influence on it. They came in contact with some Malay traders, learned a few tricks and adapted this curry. So, it’s really Malay curry, which is now better known as malai curry. Interesting right? You learn something new everyday.
You can make this dish even easier with Licious Whole Scampi/Giant Prawns.
Prawn Malai Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg Licious Scampi/Giant Prawns
- 3 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tbsp ghee
- 2 large onions sliced
- 3 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 6 green chillies or less as per your taste
- 500 grams coconut milk
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 5 tbsp yogurt
- 3 tsp salt or more to taste
- 2 Bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Coat your prawns in half your turmeric powder and 1 tsp of salt and let them marinate
- Put your sliced onions in your grinder and make a paste
- Heat up your oil in a non-stick pan and fry your prawns in batches, for roughly 45 seconds on either side. Do not overcook them, or they will become tough
- Add your ghee to the remaining oil and temper your whole spices – cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon
- Next, toss in your onion paste and let this fry till golden brown
- Your ginger paste is next, fry this for at least 4 minutes
- Follow this with the rest of your turmeric and the Kashmiri chilli powder. If your spices stick to your pan, add a little bit of the coconut milk to loosen them
- At this stage you can add the rest of the salt and green chillies. Let this cook till the oil begins to separate
- Your yogurt goes in next, make sure to lower the heat and stir well to break up any lumps. Let this simmer for about 4 minutes
- Now it’s time for the coconut milk
- When the coconut milk begins to boil, you can put in the fried prawns. After five minutes of cooking, you are all done
- As a final step, sprinkle the garam masala over the top
Recipe Notes
So, if you’re craving the taste of Bengal because you live away from home or just never knew how to make it, then this recipe should certainly fix that. There is no denying the flavour this dish holds and once you get the hang of it, it becomes really easy to execute. Don’t forget to finish off your meal with a nice sandesh or rasgulla too. Tip: If you prefer to use deshelled prawns, then we also have great tiger prawns on offer, make sure to check out our selection.