An unbeatable combination of coconut with shrimps flavored with mustard paste – this recipe comes from the rich cuisine of eastern India!
Hi! I am back!
I am sure you guys missed me here and I am guilty as charged! I have nothing to defend myself! We are already 12 days in November and this is my first post of the month! Gosh! Where was I!
I am perfectly fit and fine and was here only where I have always been. But recently my work pressure magnified by an unprecedented ratio that it became impossible to devote even a single minute towards my blog. This is gonna continue for some time now which means I have to sacrifice couple of hours of sleep to keep my blog up and running. So don’t worry, I will be here for good with some such occasional absence! I guess that can be excused! 🙂
Enough of the ramblings! Let’s get back to business!
It is Diwali time in India and I wish all of you a very happy and prosperous Diwali! Let the festival of light enlighten your mind and soul!
With the spirit of Diwali, I bring to you today an authentic Indian recipe from the regional cuisine of Bengal. In Bengali cuisine, it is very common to cook shrimps with coconut milk and that is called ‘malai’kari’ [‘malai’ means cream] which I had already shared with you all. Malai curry has a rich, creamy and smooth consistency due to the use of coconut milk.
This recipe of coconut shrimps uses grated coconut paste flavored with ground mustard which is an irresistible combination of sweetness from coconut and pungency from the mustard. The distinctive feature of this recipe is the addition of mustard paste which enhances to flavors of shrimps and coconut and takes it to a different level!
You guys might have noticed that the frequency of shrimp recipes has increased in recent times here. This is not only because we love shrimps to an indescribable extent; but also shrimps are so versatile that you can make way too many varieties with them – be it Indian or any other cuisine! I do rightly call shrimp ‘the most popular global food’, don’t you agree?
Plus what makes our busy women’s life easier is that the everyone’s favorite shrimps cook so fast that we can get the dinner to the table in a jiffy! So it is always a win-win situation! Try this and let me know if you don’t agree!
- Medium shrimp – 500 gms
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
- Onion seeds – 1 tsp
- Onion – 2, large, sliced
- Green chili – 2
- Mustard powder – 3 tsp
- Cornflour/cornstarch – 1 tsp
- Grated coconut – 1 & ½ cup
- Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Mustard/vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
- Fresh coriander leaves – 1 cup, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Peel and devein the shrimps keeping the tails intact. Marinate them with the turmeric and chilli powder and mix well. Set aside.
- Now heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion seeds. Saute them for few seconds until fragrant.
- Then add the sliced onions and saute them until golden brown. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes. Slit the green chillies and tip them into the skillet.
- While the onions are cooking, prepare a slurry by mixing the mustard powder, cornflour and couple of tablespoons of water. Make sure there is no lump.
- Grind the grated coconut in a grinder to make a smooth paste. Add little water only if needed for smooth grinding.
- When the onions turn golden brown, add the mustard-cornflour slurry to the skillet. Add the grated coconut paste, ginger and garlic paste. Stir well and cook covered on low heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture turns dry.
- Then add the marinated shrimps and half a cup of water. Stir well. Let the shrimps cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until they turn opaque. Boil off some water if the gravy is too watery.
- Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander and give a final stir. Serve hot with plain white rice.
Liked the recipe? Let us know!