Tag: Shrimp

Easy Shrimp and Vegetable Curry with Onion Stalks ( piajkoli diye chingri maach)

This an easy recipe for a mixed vegetable dish in which the Onion Floral Stalks are the main ingredients. Adding some fish to it makes it even more tasty. Tangra Maach ( dwarf striped catfish) or Chingri Maach ( Shrimp/Prawn) are the usual choices for this dish. The Recipe is the same for both of them. Probably other small fish can also be used, but I have not tried that.

Onion flower stalks, which are called Piaj Koli in Bengali are not available throughout the year. I find them in the market in the winter months. Unlike the Onion Leaves (Spring Onions), the flower stalks retains its shape when cooked . Also the stalks are hollow so the juices or gravy get in and tastes great. In the picture below you can see the difference between Piaj Koli ( Onion Floral stalk ) and Piaj saag ( Spring onion).

If the (Piaj Koli) onion floral stalks are not available, you can use the leaves, Spring Onion, ( Piaj Saag). The taste will differ slightly. You will need more leaves than floral stalks because the leaves wilt when cooked.

NOTE: The photos and videos are taken by me on my phone. The videos are a bit shaky unfortunately .

These are the vegetables used

Prepping

  • Potato, ( Aloo) – Wash and peel the skin. cut in half lengthwise and then make thick slices
  • Eggplant ( Begoon) – Wash and cut into 2 or 3 inch cubes. If you have the Japanese long eggplant the cut lengthwise then into 3 pieces each.
  • Onion floral stalks ( piaj koli) – Wash them, then discard any yellowed ones. I discard the bud and a bit of the bottom . Then cut into 2 inch lengths. If you are using Spring onion, first remove the yellowed and dried leaves. Then, cut the leaves into 2 inch lengths. You can chop up the white part or the the bulb into pieces and add them to the sliced onion.
  • Green chilies ( kancha lonka) – wash and slit each one.
  • Onions ( Piaj ) – Peel onions, make thin slices , and grate some of it too. Amounts are specified in the Ingredients
  • Shrimp ( Chingri maach ) . Remove the shell, except the tail. Clean the black thread like thing on the back. Wash well, drain out all the water. sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder on the shrimp , mix well.

Ingredients

  • Potatoes ( Aloo) Peeled and cut 175 g
  • Eggplant ( Begoon ) cut 135g
  • Onion floral stalk ( Piaj koli ) washed and chopped 135g
  • onion sliced (piaj ) peeled and sliced162g
  • onion grated (piaj bata )15 g or 2 tbsp
  • Water ( Jol) 1/2 cup
  • Shrimp ((Chingri maach) 250g ( after cleaning)
  • Salt ( noon) 1teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder ( holud ) 1/4 tsp
  • Chili powder ( lonka gudo) 1/4 tsp
  • Green chilies ( kancha lonka ) 5 or 6 slit
  • Mustard oil ( sorsher tel) 4 tbsp + 2 tbsp
  • Nigella seeds ( kalonji/ kalo jire) 1/4 tsp.
  • Garlic ( rosun) grated 15g or 1 Tablespoon.

Method

  • Heat a wok/ kadai or a pan and add the Mustard oil ( 4 tablespoon)
  • Fry the shrimp (250) in this hot oil till the shrimp get reddish. Take the shrimp out with a slotted spoon, onto a plate and keep aside
  • Add the Nigella seeds ( 1/4 tsp. ) and a slit 1 green chili to the remaining oil, and stir a minute. You can add couple of more teaspoons of oil to the Wok if necessary.
  • Add the Garlic,( 1 tablespoon) stir fry
  • Now add theground or grated onion ( 2 tablespoons ), stir fry till the raw onion smell is gone
  • Add the sliced onion ( 162 g ) to this and stir fry till they are soft.

Next, add the salt (1 tsp). Then, add Turmeric powder (1/4 tsp) and Chili powder (1/4 tsp). Stir fry for a minute.

Put the ,eggplant ( 135g), potatoes ( 175g), and the onion floral stalks ( 135g) in. Stir a while with the sautéed onion and spices already in the wok/ pan.

Add the remaining slit green chilies and the water ( 1/2 cup)

Cover with a lid and let it simmer.

After about 5 minutes, remove the lid. Check if the vegetables are soft. See if they are almost done or not.

If the eggplant is soft, add in the fried shrimps that you had kept aside .

Give it a stir then put the lid on again.

Let is simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.

After about 2 minutes, open the lid to check the potato. Make sure it is done. There should also be a little gravy.

The dish is ready, It should not be completely dry but should have a little gravy.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with hot cooked rice or roti.

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a out 2 days. warm it up in the Microwave when you want to eat it again.

Variation to this recipe.

Tangra Maach piaj koli diye. ( onion floral stalks with Tangra maach)

Tangra Maach ( variety of catfish)

These are Tangra Maach that have been fried a little. The Vegetables are cooked exactly the same way as in the recipe above. The only difference is that, when the vegetables are cooked, the Tangra Maach is added. It is then simmered for a few minutes before taking it off the flame.

The Tangra with all the onion floral stalks and other vegetables

Tangra is a small ( dwarf) fish, a variety of catfish. It is a fresh water fish found in rivers and pond. Ones I have used are about 8 to 10 cms long.

Clean the fish, keeping the head. Add salt and turmeric powder and let them sit for at least 15 minutes before frying them.

The recipe for the vegetables are the same as above. After adding the fish, let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. This will make the fish soft and help it imbibe the taste.

Easy Shrimp and Vegetable Curry with Onion Floral Stalks (Piaj Koli Diye Chingri Maach)

  • Servings: 4
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Ingredients

  • Shrimp (Chingri Maach), cleaned – 250 g
  • Potatoes (Aloo), peeled and sliced – 175 g
  • Eggplant (Begoon), cubed – 135 g
  • Onion floral stalks (Piaj Koli), chopped – 135 g
  • Onion, thinly sliced – 162 g
  • Onion, grated – 15 g (about 2 tbsp)
  • Garlic, grated – 15 g (about 1 tbsp)
  • Green chilies, slit – 5–6
  • Water – 1/2 cup
  • Mustard oil – 6 tbsp (4 tbsp + 2 tbsp)
  • Nigella seeds (Kalonji/Kalo Jire) – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Chili powder – 1/4 tsp

Directions

  1. Heat a wok or pan and add 4 tablespoons mustard oil.
  2. Fry the shrimp in hot oil until they turn reddish. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add nigella seeds and 1 slit green chili to the remaining oil. Stir briefly.
  4. Add grated garlic and sauté.
  5. Add grated onion and fry until the raw smell disappears.
  6. Add sliced onions and sauté until soft.
  7. Add salt, turmeric powder, and chili powder. Stir for 1 minute.
  8. Add potatoes, eggplant, and onion floral stalks. Mix well with spices.
  9. Add remaining green chilies and 1/2 cup water.
  10. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes until vegetables are nearly cooked.
  11. Add the fried shrimp, stir gently, cover, and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.
  12. Check that potatoes are fully cooked and there is a little gravy.
  13. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

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Chingri Malai Curry ( Shrimp cooked in coconut milk)

Chingri Maacher Malai curry is something that is made on special occasions in most Bengali homes. I grew up eating this delicacy cooked by my grandmother, mother, and aunts. One of my aunt’s preparation was the one I liked the best, but unfortunately I did not think of asking her for the recipe. I have had to try it many many times before I made something that is close to the taste that I remember. The main ingredient is the coconut milk I realized. Fresh coconut milk gives it the lovely aroma and taste. You need quite a lot of thick coconut milk, because I cook it only in the coconut milk and do not add water. Now days you get coconut milk in cans and also the dried ones which makes it very convenient to make this recipe. In this recipe I have used the canned milk since it is easily accessible for most people. But it is best with fresh coconut milk.

Making the fresh coconut milk is easy but a little labor intensive.

How to make coconut milk

1 Grate a full coconut. Soak it in enough warm water to just cover the coconut. Stir well a couple of times and let it sit for for half hour to one hour. Then you take a fist full and squeeze the milk out into a strainer placed over a pan. Keep the milk and discard the squeezed out coconut.

2 Take out the flesh of the coconut or grate it. Put the coconut in a grinder or blender with some water.To One cup coconut add 1 cup water, it is better if you can use even less water . After grinding pour the contents of the grinder onto a cheese cloth placed over a pan. Now pick up all the sides of the cloth and make a bundle. Squeeze the coconut in the cheese cloth to extract the milk. It is better to put less water, because the thick milk can always be diluted. Discard the residue in the cloth after squeezing out as much coconut milk as possible.

When you use fresh coconut milk you will need more than 1 cup as the canned coconut milk tends to be thicker.

Ingredients

  • Shrimp/ Chingri 200g
  • Coconut milk 200ml
  • Vegetable oil 3 tablespoon
  • Salt 1/2 teaspoon
  • Sugar 1/4 teaspoon
  • Coriander/ Dhania powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Cumin/ Jeera powder 1/4 teaspoon
  • Chili / Mirchi powder 1/4 teaspoon
  • Turmeric/Haldi powder 1/4 teaspoon
  • Ginger/ Adrak paste 1/2 teaspoon
  • Whole Cinnamon, Cloves, and Cardamom/ Garam masala
  • Bay leaves/Tej patta 2 small ones
  • Onion/ piaj paste 3 table spoon

Prepping

Clean and wash the shrimp. I have used big ones, you can use any size but definitely bigger is better. The black thread like thing which runs along the back of the shrimp has to be removed. in this recipe the shell has been taken out leaving only the tail and head. But the antennae portion of the head has been removed, and the head has been properly cleaned. You need not keep the head and tail if you so desire. After washing the fish and draining out the water, sprinkle a little salt and turmeric powder and rub it on the fish.

Get the coconut milk ready if you are using fresh coconut milk.

Make the onion paste. You can grate the onion or use a grinder.

gather all the spiced

grate some fresh ginger

How to make the Malai Curry

  1. Heat a Wok/kadai or a pan and add 1/2 of the coconut milk.
  2. Let it boil down till the oil is released, then add the 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
  3. Add the Bay leaf/ tej patta, whole cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves as tarka, to season the oil.
  4. Once you get the Aroma of the whole garam masala add the onion paste. Fry till the raw onion smell goes and the onion is a little brown.
  5. In a small bowl, put the Chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt , and sugar. Mix it all together with about 2 tablespoons of water. Pour this onto the fried onion in the wok/ pan.
  6. Stir fry for a couple of minutes then add the ginger paste. Stir fry till the oil separates on the sides of the masala.
  7. Add the Shrimp and mix it well with the masala and keep stirring and frying till the shell looks reddish and the flesh is opaque.
  8. keep about 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk for garnish and pour the rest of it into the pan. Reduce the heat to low . Cover and let the shrimp simmer in this gravy for about 5 minutes, then flip them over and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes. the gravy should not dry out. If the gravy is too thick you can add some water and simmer.
  9. Take it off the heat and transfer to a serving dish. Before serving pour the saved coconut milk on top of the curry as a garnish. Serve with hot steamed rice.

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Lau Chingri

LAU CHINGRI

According to me Lau chingri is the best preparation of Lau/ Lauki ( bottle Gourd). This is usually made a little hot and spicy and it is served with plain steamed rice. The addition of Chingri/Shrimp, takes the humble Lau to another level altogether. Gourds are available in the summer months in India. Bottle gourd/lau and a few other gourds release a lot of water when they are cooked, so it cooks in its own juices mostly, there is no need to add any more water to cook it.

The shrimps/ chingri that are used in this recipe are the small ones. Before cooking Shrimp/ chingri they have to be cleaned very well. First you have to take off the shell, you can keep the tail if you want, then take out the black vein which is found on the back. Then wash it well again. Sprinkle some salt and turmeric/ haldi powder on the Shrimp/chingri mix it well and keep aside.

Ingredients

Peeled and cut lau 6 cups

Medium or small shrimp 250g

Tarka or seasoning

Jeera ( cumin) seeds 1/4 tsp

Dry red chilies 2

Tej patta/ Bay leaf 1

Dalchini/ cinnamon 1 inch stick which is broken into small pieces

Masalas

Salt ( namak) 1 teaspoon

Coriander ( dhania) powder 1 teaspoon

Cumin ( jeera) powder 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala 1/2 teaspoon

Chili ( mirchi) powder 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric ( haldi) powder 1/2 teaspoon

Green chilies ( hara mirch) slit 3

Mustard Oil ( sarso ka tel) 3 Tablespoons

Peel the Lau/Gourd and cut it into small pieces. Using a grater is not a good idea as the Lau will become too soft and mushy.

Fried Shrimp/ chingri

The spices/masalas needed for the Lau chingri.

Method

Heat the Mustard oil in a kadai or Pan.

Add the shrimp and fry them till they are opaque, do not fry them too much, because shrimps will become hard and rubbery. Remove from the kadai and keep them aside.

In the same oil, add the Masalas for the tarka: Bay leaf/tej patta, red chili,and Jeera/cumin seeds.

When the jeera gets a bit dark brown, add the Lau .

Now add all the masalas/spices except the garam masala. Stir to mix the spices with the Lau, cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat .

The Lau will release a lot of liquid so there is no need to add water. Open once in a while and check to see if the Lau is soft and done. When the Lau is soft, you will be able to cut it with a spoon.

Remove the lid, and add the shrimp. Mix it well.

Dry out any water that is still left in the kadai. Add the Garam Masala and mix well to get the garam masala evenly mixed.

Take the Kadai/pan of the heat and transfer the Lau chingri to a serving dish. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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