Chingri macher malaikari

A signature from Bengal, this marvel of a dish is perfect for every occasion. There is no one recipe for the perfect malaikari. Every home has their own recipe with slight variations, but the traditional recipe uses freshly made coconut milk. I did not have the convenience of canned coconut, coconut milk or frozen coconut. Everything was made fresh.

Ingredients
500 gm golda chingri
½ cup thick coconut milk
1 cup thin coconut milk
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ cup onion paste
2 pieces cardamom
2 pieces cinnamon
5 pieces green chillies (sliced halfway through)
½ cup oil
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method
Clean and wash the prawns. Marinade the prawns in little salt and turmeric powder and keep aside. Prepare a paste with red chilli, turmeric powder, onion paste and 1 tablespoon water. Heat oil in a pan. Put the cardamom and cinnamon when the oil starts smoking. Now add spice paste to the pan, continue stirring for few minutes. Now add the thin coconut milk, salt and green chilli. Reduce the thin coconut milk to half by boiling.
Add the prawn, thick coconut milk, and stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add sugar and cook for 2 minutes. When oil floats over all remove the pan.

Tip
Do not overcook the prawns, because they will become chewy. Dip the prawns head side down in the gravy, so that the head cooks in oil first.