The steam ‘rose’ to the occasion – Shorshe Narkel Bhapa Chingri

There is something about a long day of work meetings and then facing the empty fridge that makes us sulk (thanks to adulthood!) and reach our phones to ‘Swiggy It!’ or surf Zomato to order food from restaurants or as Maa would like to say, “Jotoshob baaje khabaar (All junk food!)!”. Thanks to the lockdown, even that seems impossible now. I juggle between two office meetings from home and in a 15 minutes hiatus call my Mom in despair,

“Maa! Dhur bhaal laage na, Chingri aache but banaanor ekdom shomoy nei.”

(Mom! Adulting sucks! There’re prawns in my fridge but I have no time to cook!)

“Arey chingri olpo bhaja korlei toh hoi… Olpo jeera bata, aloo diye jhol baniye ne.”

(Oh prawns don’t need much frying, make a cumin paste slurry, add potatoes and your gravy is done!)

“But Maa, amar ekdom ranna korte icche korche na, fry koraro time nei”

(Mom, but I don’t feel like cooking at all! I don’t have time for frying as well)

“Uff, tahole bhapa kore ne aar phone taa rakh. Unlike you, I don’t have time to sulk!”

(God, just steam the fish then! Unlike you, I don’t have time to sulk!)

Savage mother hung up on me, but left me with a good idea. Chingri maach bhapa is an all-time favourite and reminds me of good ol’ afternoon lunches where my eyes would lit up when Maa used to make them and open the lid at lunch, the steam “rose” to the occasion and the pungent aroma reached your nose and gives you a slight tickle, “jhaaj” we call it in Bengali.

The memories of childhood afternoons weaving my work from homes, this Shorshe Narkel Chingri Bhapa is steamy, musky, aromatic and all things good. Let’s have a look at the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Prawns: 500 gms (Cleaned, de-veined and de-shelled)
2. Black Mustard: 3 tbsp
3. Yellow Mustard: 2 tbsp
4. Desiccated coconut: 2 tbsp
5. Green chilies: 5 nos.
6. Turmeric: 3 tsp (I used more turmeric for colour but compensated it by steaming it for longer period of time. Check the recipe for the details)
7. Yogurt: 2 tbsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Sugar: a pinch
10. Mustard Oil: 4 tsp

Recipe:

1. Wash the prawns in clean water and dry them with a clean cloth or paper towel.
2. Put the prawns in a steel tiffin box (with lid) and add three green chilies to it.
3. Meanwhile soak the other ingredients (except mustard oil, yogurt, salt and sugar) in 2 tsp of water and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
4. In a blender, add the soaked ingredients, salt, sugar, yogurt and a dash of mustard oil and make a smooth paste. Remember to not make it runny, add water accordingly.
5. Add the paste into the prawns and mix thoroughly.
6. Add a dash of mustard oil.
7. Take a kadhai and add water into it and put it to boil.
8. Close the lid of the tiffin-box and place it on the kadhai and dip 1/4 of the box into the kadhai.
9. Let it steam for 30 mins for the best results.
10. Serve hot with steamed rice.

If you liked this recipe and want to see more of this mother-daughter duo, don’t forget to reach out to us at rannabaati00@gmail.com and our Instagram Handle @rannabaati by Oliva Das. We look forward to your requests and feedback!