Chingri Posto – Juicy, chunky prawns seared in mustard oil, then simmered in classic Bengali coconut and poppyseed gravy, a dish that you can make all year round. You can serve this on the table in 20 minutes on the bed of steamed rice.
What Ingredients do you need to make Chingri Posto?
The ingredient list is short, but the right ones are available, and most of the ingredients are easily accessible.
Ingredients for Chingri Posto
Chingri- Prawns or Shrimps
Terminological confusion- Let’s talk about Chingri first, which means Prawn or shrimps.
I remember my initial days, the terminological confusions between bell paper and capsicum, eggplant and brinjal, spring onion and scallion, and coriander leaves and cilantro! The list is long, and we can continue the discussion. But now, let’s talk about the prawn for this recipe.
Most of you know that prawns and shrimp are the same. But I wanted to discuss this with newcomers to the cooking world to avoid confusion! Prawns are called Prawns in Australia and other commonwealth countries, and Shrimp in other countries.
What type of prawns/ shrimps do you use for this recipe?
I prefer to use uncooked thawed prawns for this recipe because this is the easiest way to resource help and save my time and energy.
No chewy prawns, please! How to avoid it?
Serving or eating a dry, chewy prawn is an offence, and it is a waste of food and money.
What to do? – simple!
If you are cooking medium-sized prawns for curry, fry them over medium-high heat until halfway cooked through. You don’t need to cook each side for more than 1 minute and remove it from the oil.
Next, cook the gravy, add Chingri Bhaja or the fried prawns/shrimp back into the gravy or curry at the end, and cover it with a lid. Over high heat, cook the prawns for a minute to adjust the temperature, then simmer the dish over medium heat.
Don’t simmer them in the gravy, sauce, or curry for more than three to four minutes. Then, immediately remove them from the heat because the cooking process will continue while you are waiting for the dish to rest.
It’s always good to give at least 10 minutes of resting time before serving any fish, seafood or meat curry so that protein can absorb the flavour and gravy.
Follow these steps every time you enjoy a juicy, plumy prawn dish.
Chingri Posto recipe
Posto or Poppyseed
Let’s talk about Posto or Poppy seeds.
How does it taste?
The taste of these tiny round-shaped seeds is nutty.
How to use these poppy seeds?
In various cuisines, poppy seeds are used for baking, decorating, and cooking savoury and sweet dishes in different ways.
These seeds have been harvested in many countries by several civilisations and used in many cuisines. However, because of the traces of Opium, poppy seeds are banned in many countries.
If you live in a place where you don’t get poppy seeds, you can try some other prawn recipes instead of this recipe.
Posto or Poppyseeds in Bengali cooking!
Poppy seeds are called Posto in Bengali and Khus khus in Hindi. White poppy seeds are mainly used in Bengali and Indian cooking. Smooth poppy seed paste is used in some rich curries as a thickening agent. On the other hand, coarsely ground poppy seed paste or Posto bata is one of the star ingredients in Bengali cooking.
Posto bata, or Ground poppy seeds paste and steamed white rice, is a comfort meal in Bengali cuisines. After a long, hectic summer day, it is the most relaxing day for many Bengalis. First, grind the white poppy seeds to the consistency of moist soil, then add mustard oil, chopped onion, green chillies, and salt, and serve with steamed rice.
You can cook most of your desired veggies, fish, prawns, and eggs in poppy seed paste, and you will enjoy a Bengali delicacy. Such as Aloo Posto, Dim Posto.
How to make Poppy seeds paste?
There are two or three ways you can make Poppy seed paste for Bengali recipes.
Type 1 - You can make poppy seeds paste traditionally by using mortar and pestle.
Type -2—These days, I make Posto Bata, or poppy seed paste, in my Indian mixer grinder. First, I soak the poppy seeds, green chilies, and salt in warm water in a small bowl for 30 minutes. Then, I grind them to make a thick, coarse paste.
Type 3 - Use your coffee grinder
Ground Poppy seeds in a coffee grinder
Disclaimer: I filmed this video a few years back.
At the time, I didn’t have my Indian mixer grinder here in Melbourne, so I coarsely ground the poppy seeds in my spice and coffee grinder. Grind the poppy seeds in either puls mode or don’t run the machine for more than 10 seconds because you don’t want to generate heat; otherwise, your poppy seeds will start releasing oil.
Then, I transferred the powdered poppy seeds into a bowl and added water to make a paste. But in this case, you need to make green chilli paste separately or add chopped green chillies.
Mustard oil
Mustard oil has an intense flavour, and when paired with green chilies, it enhances the flavour of poppyseed paste.
Green chillies
The number of green chillies you need depends on your heat tolerance. You are lucky if you can get fresh hot green chillies all year round, but if you don’t, you can use the frozen green chillies you get in an Indian or Bangladeshi store.
Coconut
coconut adds flavour and helps to balance the taste of the dish by adding sweetness. Nothing can beat the taste of freshly grated coconut! But, the challenges of living outside of India means –
Number one, it’s hard to find fresh coconut in your local supermarket all the time.
Second, you have no helping hand to do this extra step after a long day, and you are looking for a delicious, quick meal. So, get help from your Indian store and use grated frozen coconut or buy a pack of desiccated coconut at your local supermarket.
Onion
I use red onion in my curries. But if you use brown onion, don’t add sugar at the end. Fried brown onion tastes sweet, in my opinion.
Chingri Posto recipe
How to make Chingri posto?
First, chop onion and garlic. Then, heat oil in a Kadai or Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry the prawns and remove them from the pan.
Add Dry red chilies to the remaining oil, then add onion and fry for a minute. Add garlic, sprinkle salt, and continue cooking for 7-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Postobata or Poppy seeds paste in your preferred way.
Add grated coconut and cook till the rawness of the coconut is removed. Then, add the fried prawns followed by Poppy seeds paste, water, and sugar and cook till desired consistency. Cover with a lid and remove from heat.
Voila! Your Chingri Posto Narkel is ready.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and come back for more recipes.
Till then, Happy cooking!
Chingri Posto
Read the recipe card for more detail, and watch the video here!
Comentarios