Doi Chingri / Prawns cooked in a Creamy Yogurt Sauce

Doi Chingri is Bengali prawn delicacy where the prawns are cooked and simmered in a smooth yogurt based gravy, heavily flavoured with ghee or mustard oil and the signature whole spices, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms and cloves. Doi Chingri is the better half of the famous Bengali fish curry, Doi Mach or Fish cooked in aromatic yogurt based gravy and is the half sibling of the iconic Bhapa Chingri, where the prawns are cooked in a gravy, made mainly of mustard seeds but the gravy comes from using the yogurt.

 Doi Chingri uses minimum spices, such as only turmeric powder and red chilli powder and the ghee or mustard oil is tempered with the whole spices to give the gravy an intense flavour. You can make the curry hot by using green chilli paste, but do not overdo the red chilli powder as we use it mainly to give the curry a richer colour and a bit of smoke.

Shallow fry the marinated prawns just until you get a golden colour.

Add ghee to the remaining oil and add garlic paste, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaves. Saute until the garlic get a good golden colour.

Add the onions and cook until golden brown.

Add the ginger paste and chopped green chillies.

Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Cook for a minute.

Add yogurt and cook until the oil separates.

Add the fried prawns and salt. Stir to mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes more.

Add garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves. Give a good stir to mix them with the curry and switch off the flame.

Doi Chingri / Prawns Cooked in a Creamy Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

250gm of prawns

1 small onion – finely chopped

1 cup thick yogurt – whisked

4 cloves of garlic – paste

½ inch ginger – paste

2 green chillies – chopped

1 medium cinnamon stick

3 green cardamoms

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 and ½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

A handful of fresh coriander leaves – chopped

Salt

2 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp oil

Method:

In a bowl take the prawns and sprinkle ½ tsp turmeric powder and salt over them.

Mix them well and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a kadai and lightly sauté the prawns until golden. Take them out of the kadai and keep aside.

Add the ghee to the remaining oil.

Add the cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaf. Sauté for half a minute and then add the chopped onions to them.

Sprinkle some salt over them and cook until they become golden brown.

Add the ginger – garlic paste and cook for a minute or until the raw smell of the garlic is gone.

Add the remaining turmeric powder and red chilli powder and cook for a minute to develop the flavours of the spices.

Add the whisked yogurt and cook until the oil separates.

Add the fried prawns and mix them well.

Simmer until the gravy thickens.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Sprinkle the garam masala powder and the chopped coriander leaves.

Stir to mix.

Switch off the flame and serve hot with plain hot rice.