Bengali Recipe

There is a common saying in Bangla that "Bangali Khea fatur.. " means a Bengali can sell everything to have a palatable dish. It is difficult to find a middle class Bengali who does not eat rice with fish everyday. There are hundreds of varieties of fish and recipes. As Bengal is one of the most diversified states of India, their food habit is not restricted to fish boundaries
But most Bengali food means rice and fish. As Bengal is on the monsoon-drenched east coast of India most of it dishes based on Fish. The other characteristic of coastal cuisines, the use of coconut, is clear in the cuisine of eastern Bengal. Unlike other coastal kitchens, however, coconut oil is not used. The preferred cooking medium is mustard oil. Bengali food is quiet spicy and somewhat different from the norm in the heartland of India, but similar to that used further east. Here is most delicious and famous dish.

Prawn in Coconut Shell (daab Chingri Malaicurry)
Ingredients :

1. 500 g prawns(preferably Tiger prawns)
2. 2 onions
3. 4 tender green coconuts
4. ½ lemon
5. 3 green chillies
6. ½ cup milk
7. 6 tbsp coconut milk
8. 1/2 tbsp cumin
9. 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
10. 1/2 table spoon of turmeric powder
11. 2 tbsp poppy seeds
12. ¼ cup cashew nuts
13. Salt to taste

Procedure:

 Clean and peel the prawns leaving tail intact.

 Now remove the back vein and wash the prawns very well.

 Apply turmeric powder, lemon juice and salt and let it to marinate for 30 minutes.

 Grind onion poppy seeds cashew nuts and green chillies into paste .

 Cut the top end of the green coconuts.

 Set aside water, shell and cut head of green coconuts.

 Heat oil in a pan and Add onion add ginger paste

 Add poppy paste and cashew paste.

 Stir fry till it smells of roasted nut.

 Add cumin and green chilli paste.

 Cook for around 5 minutes.

 Add milk and coconut milk.

 Simmer for about 20 minutes till gravy is set.

 Add prawns and simmer till cooked.

 Add the water of green tender coconut and reduce to pouring consistency.

 Add salt to taste.

 Pour curry into the coconut shells.

 Immerse the stuffed green coconuts till half water level.

 Cook for 30 minutes on the water bath.

 Remove the stuffed coconuts.

 Cover with the cut heads of the coconut shells.

 Serve hot in the shell accompanied by rice