Steamed Shrimp Curry/ Bhapa Chingri

Shrimp/Prawns/Chingri whatever you call it, they are our (Bengali's) all time favorites. We can use it in each and every vegetable, you just name it and with the blink of eye we are ready with the dish. Moreover there are number of recipes that can be made out of it. Such is the love of Bengali's for "Chingri".

One of the most popular recipe cooked with Shrimp is Chingri Malaikari (recipe here) which is a signature bong delicacy. 

The recipe which I'm sharing today is a quintessential recipe of Bengali Cuisine i.e Bhapa Chingri or Steamed Shrimp in Mustard and Coconut Gravy. I still remembered my Mom cooking this delectable recipe in a pressure cooker and as soon as it's done I use to run to the kitchen and open the cooker to get the whiff of this flavorful dish.

Bhapa Chingri is cooked in mustard paste with coconut milk and a generous amount of mustard oil and slit chillies. Some recipe calls for poppy seed paste but I like it this way. This recipe is very similar to another very popular recipe i.e Ilish Bhapa (recipe here). Just replace the Ilish/Hilsa fish with Chingri/Shrimp.

Traditionally this recipe is prepared using a pressure cooker. All the ingredients are mixed together and placed in a steel container with airtight lid. This container is then placed in the pressure cooker and steamed for 8-10 mins. But, I have used microwave method for preparing this recipe. 

So, without any further ado let's start with the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Head on Shrimp: 8-9 pieces

2. Mustard Seeds: 2 tbsp

3. Grated Coconut: 1/2 cup

4. Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

5. Salt to taste

6. Mustard Oil (preferable, you can use vegetable oil too): for cooking

7. Green chilies

8. Cilantro (Coriander leaves): for garnishing

Method:

1. First thing first wash, clean and devein the shrimps. Leave the head on and tail on as the heads imparts a very nice flavor to the dish.

2. Sprinkle little bit of salt and turmeric powder and coat them nicely. Keep it aside for 5-10 mins.

3. In the meanwhile make a paste with mustard seeds, grated coconut, salt, turmeric powder and green chilies. Add water if required, the consistency of this mixture should not be too thin.

4. Take the shrimps in a microwave safe bowl and coat them with the prepared coconut-mustard seeds paste. 

5. Add 2-3 tbsps of mustard oil and a green chilly. Cover the bowl with aluminium foil and steam it for 7-8 mins. Let it stand for a minute. Remove the foil and check the consistency of the gravy. If required steam it for another minute.

6. Chingri Bhapa is ready to serve with steamed rice, garnish it with freshly chopped cilantro. Enjoy!!

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