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Bengal had always been the land of invasions. Dutch, Portuguese, Muslims and the British – everybody had ruled over this state at one point of time or the other. These invasions had a great impact in the social and economic arena of the state. The culinary field was not left behind. The indigenous Bengali cuisine had been influenced by these invaders. In spite of these influences there are some recipes which can always be called as authentic Bengali recipe. One such is the pui-er dana diye chingri maach (Malabar spinach seeds with shrimps).
This recipe is a typical Bangal style recipe and is cooked with a concoction of few spices to retain the green and fresh smell of the seeds. I have used fresh shrimps to prepare this recipe, but you can also use chingri shutki (dried shrimps) too. While using the dried shrimps, fry it similarly as when using the fresh shrimps.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Malabar spinach (Pui) seeds
- ½ cup small shrimps
- ½ cup thinly sliced potatoes
- ½ cup thinly sliced pumpkin
- 1 medium sized onion, julienne
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 4 tablespoon mustard oil
- Salt to taste
Preparation
- De-vein and clean the shrimps
- Heat 1 ½ tablespoon of mustard oil in a wok, as it turns piping hot, add the shrimps and stir fry till they turn a little hard, keep aside
- Pour in the extra oil and sauté onions, add the garlic paste
- Drop in the potatoes and pumpkin as the onions turn translucent, cook for sometime
- Season with the spices and salt
- Add the pui seeds and cook till they soften
- Add the shrimps and cook for 2-3 minutes more
- Take out of flame and serve hot with warm white rice
Hot Tips – It is very essential to clean the shrimps properly. While frying the shrimps, just don’t let the shrimps turn too hard, else the shrimps will turn chewy.
Further Reading – Chanchra, Lutiya Shutki
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