Bengali Prawn and Coconut Curry

Prawns and coconut are a match made in heaven. This recipe is a quintessential dish in the Bengali cuisine and I absolutely LOVE it. Known as “Daab Chingri” – Daab= Tender coconut and Chingri= Prawn in Bengali, this recipe is a hit in my family especially because my mum tweaks the time-consuming traditional recipe and makes it in no time. As the name suggests, prawns are cooked inside tender coconut shell in a mustard-coconut-poppy seed gravy. This preparation is hugely popular in West Bengal. It is generally cooked during special occasions, but given a choice I’d eat this 2-3 times a week at least Note: Traditionally, this was cooked for 1-1.5 hours over a stove, but this microwave/oven option that my mum uses doesn’t make it look like a hassle. Pro tip: To make sure it’s really creamy and tasty, please buy coconuts with cream/flesh inside and you can add some extra coconut milk😉

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Wash the tender coconut and cut the top portion of it carefully with a sharp knife. Take out the cut-out portion gently so that it is intact. It will be used later to seal the coconut.

Step 2

Pour the water from the coconut into a separate bowl and keep it aside. Scrape out the soft flesh from inside the coconut and keep it aside.

Step 3

Devein the prawns and wash them thoroughly.

Step 4

Marinate the prawns with salt and turmeric powder for 10-15 mins and then shallow fry them in mustard oil for 30 sec on each side. Keep them aside.

Step 5

Blend together- grated coconut(handful) + tender coconut soft flesh (that you’ve scooped out) + mustard seeds + poppy seeds +green chillies + tomatoes + 2 tbsp coconut water and make a smooth paste. Add in ginger + garlic paste.

Step 6

Coat the fried prawns with the above mustard mix and add coconut milk, remaining coconut water, salt, sugar (as per need) and give it a good mix with your fingers and let it rest for 10 mins in the bowl.

Step 7

Very carefully insert the prawns in the clean coconut shells and make sure there is enough sauce/gravy/marinade in each shell.

Step 8

Close the coconut shell with the cut-out piece and then use dough to seal it.

Step 9

Time is essential for this recipe to make sure the prawns aren’t overcooked.

Step 10

For microwave users: Place the prepared coconut-prawn on a microwavable plate and cook it at 180°C/full power for 30 minutes and allow it to stand for 2 more minutes.

Step 11

For oven users: Place the tender coconut on an oven-proof plate and put it inside the preheated oven. Cook it at 200°C/180°C Fan for 30 minutes and then switch off the oven.

Step 12

Served hot with plain rice and ENJOY!