Dab Chingri

Contributed by Arpitadi. Thanku! Muah Muah Muah!

I tried this out on my friend and her husband ( who is a mach loving Canadian) this weekend. They simply loved it. For those of us who entertain a lot of o-bangali and bideshi lokjon......this is an absolute hit. The dish is very delicately spiced, and has a whole lot of soft touch to it. The end effect - the spices, the aromas, the textures, the whole thing bursts inside your mouth....giving a very rich gastronomic experience!!! Try this out definitely, even we bangalis who love our food spicy and hot are bound to like it!!

Ingredients

Small Prawn - 750 gms (normally fresh prawns are the best, if not available you can use cooked frozen ones too)

Onion Paste - 100 gms

Milk - 50 ml

Coconut Milk - 75 ml

Cummin Paste - 2 tsp

Green Chilli Paste - 2 tsp

Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp

Poppy Seed Paste - 2 tsp

Cashew Paste - 2 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 lemon

Salt - to taste

Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp

Fresh Coriander Leaves - for garnishing

1 Whole Green Coconut - (when green coconut not available - try using canned coconut water - this can be found in some Srilankan or South Indian Grocery stores - but if you find green coconut - nothing like it)

Preparation :

Completely shell and de-vein the prawns, wash in cold water. If using cooked frozen prawns, thaw properly.

Rub with lemon juice and salt and keep aside for sometime. Taken oil in a wok and add onion paste. Simmer till oil leaves the sides. Add ginger paste. Stir. Add poppy and cashew paste and simmer till it smells of roasted nut. Add cumin and green chilli paste.

Cook for 2 minutes and add milk and coconut milk. Simmer for about 15 minutes till gravy is set. Add the prawns and simmer till cooked. Add the water of green tender coconut and reduce to till the gravy is thick. You may also scrape out some of the tender coconut from the shell and keep aside for garnishing later on. Add salt to season. Cut the ends of the green coconut and preserve the shell of the head for covering.
Pour the curry into the shell and cook for 20 minutes on a water bath, immersing the stuffed green coconuts till half water level. Serve hot in the shell garnished with fresh coriander leaves and tender coconut pieces.And lo.......behold ...........what an amazing spread it looks and tastes out of the world too!!