Chingri Posto / Bengali Style Prawns with Poppy Seeds Paste

Chingri posto / prawns with poppy seeds is rather new to me. I have never tasted prawns with poppy seeds, but it’s my husband who insisted that I should try it with prawns. Gosh...how people love any dishes with poppy seeds aka posto.However after I cooked it a couple of times, I rather myself got addicted to this particular taste of prawns. It’s really yummm. Besides, with the sizzling buzz of mustard oil this dish gets another high. You have to taste it yourself to know my feelings. A simple Bengali style prawn dish served at its best.

Posto Chingri / Prawns with poppy seeds paste, is just like aloo posto...where you replace the potatoes with prawns. Now...the bigger the prawns the better it taste!! But for everyday meal I prefer the medium sized prawns. Basically it’s a very very simple dish, a simple prawn recipe to follow without any hesitation, where you sauté the prawns and then cook them with the poppy seeds paste until the raw flavour of the poppy seeds is gone.

Posto Chingri

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

200 gm prawns of medium size (If you are using tiger prawns then use 5-6)

2 tbsp poppy seeds

½ tsp nigella seeds

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 green chillies – slitted

2-3 dry red chilli

Salt

2 tbsp mustard oil

Method:

De-vein the prawns and rub 1 tsp turmeric and salt over them. Let them marinate for 5-7 minutes.

Make a smooth paste of the poppy seeds with some water and ½ tbsp mustard oil

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai / pan and sauté the prawns in them. Once they are lightly orange take them out of the pan and keep aside.

Now in the same oil add the nigella seeds and dry red chillies.

As they start to sizzle add the chopped onions.

Sauté till they become translucent and then add in the prepared poppy seeds paste and stir to cook.

Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and a little salt. Give a good stir to mix.

Simmer for 2 minutes and then add a little water.

Now add the sautéed prawns and cook till the prawns are cooked perfectly. Add water in this process if the gravy turns too dry and tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once everything is done, drizzle the rest of the mustard oil over the prawns and sprinkle the slitted green chillies.

Serve hot with some steamed hot rice.