Chingri Malai Curry (Shrimp with Coconut Milk)

Chingri malai curry is a quintessential Bengali dish served for special occasions. The bigger the size of the shrimp the more valued your guests felt. This curry tastes the best if you use prawns with heads. The heads have an immense amount of flavor which gives the curry the richness along with the coconut milk. I have used light coconut milk, but for a richer dish, feel free to replace it with full fat coconut milk.

9 large shrimps with tails on
2 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon sliced green chili (jalapeno or serrano pepper)
7 oz unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup onion juice (Grate a medium red onion and squeeze the juice through a sieve)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 green cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1/8th teaspoon turmeric powder

1. Shell the prawns and leave the tails on. The tails make a better presentation and the shells add additional flavor. Toss them with 1/4 teaspoon salt and set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a saute pan and  saute the potatoes over medium heat till they turn brown on all sides about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the browned potatoes and keep aside. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil and add the cardamoms, bay leaf and cloves. Once they start sizzling, add back the potatoes and the onion juice and cook over medium heat till the juice is almost dry. Add the shrimps, turmeric and sliced green chili at this point and saute for a couple of minutes till the shrimps being to turn pink.
3. Add the coconut milk and simmer till the potatoes are fully cooked, about 5 minutes.  
4. Serve with steamed white rice.

Serves 3