Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Westbengal · Dinner

Chingri Bhapa

Prawns steamed with a sharp mustard-green chilli marinade in a sealed vessel — intensely flavoured and finished with raw mustard oil.

🧺 Ingredients

• Medium prawns: 500g, shelled, deveined, tails on
• Yellow mustard paste: 2 tbsp (from 20g seeds, blended)
• Black mustard paste: 1 tbsp (from 10g seeds, blended)
• Green chillies: 5, finely sliced
• Turmeric: ¾ tsp
• Mustard oil: 3 tbsp
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Grated coconut: 2 tbsp (optional)
• Sealed vessel is key — trapped steam concentrates flavour
• Do not overcook; prawns cook fast and turn rubbery at 18+ min
• Grated coconut adds sweetness and body
• This works well with golda chingri (freshwater prawns) too

👩‍🍳 How to make Chingri Bhapa

1. Mix both mustard pastes, chillies, turmeric, salt and 2 tbsp mustard oil with prawns.
2. Rest 15 min.
3. Place marinated prawns in a tiffin box (dabba) or ovenproof bowl with tight-fitting lid.
4. Place sealed vessel in a large pot with 5cm boiling water.
5. Cover outer pot.
6. Steam 12–15 min until prawns are pink-orange and curled.
7. Open, drizzle remaining 1 tbsp raw mustard oil over top.
8. Serve immediately with rice.

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