The part of India I am from, we celebrate our biggest festival this time of the year. Being away from family, it’s the time of the year when the mind looks for those familiar sights, smells and sounds that were so part of growing up. My earliest and most endearing memory of this festival is a handbag. Yes, a shiny red handbag that belonged to my mom.
We lived away from our ancestral home and this time of the year, we would make our customary trip to grandmas. The designated day, I would wake up to my mom hustling through the morning chores and prodding us on to make it quick. The steel almirah (closet) would creak open and out would come our fancy new outfits and my mom’s red handbag. It was a handbag my dad had got mom in one of his trips to Bombay (Mumbai) and mom treasured it. My indulgently simple ma would pair it up with almost anything and everything she wore.
Being a 2 or 3 year old, the first 10 mins of laying my hands on it, I would be seen parading around the house with the handbag slinging on my arm sometimes, shoulder and eventually around my neck. It had a smell to it from sitting within a closet for most part of it’s life. As a little girl, that smell to me was heaven. It filled me with the anticipation of all the good things to come in the next few days. And today, as I write this I can almost smell the same leather infused with eau de mothball 🙂 smell. But that is what it is, and that is one happy memory that I replay in my mind from time to time till today.
A lot of recipes are customary to be cooked and served on special occasions like the festival I mentioned above, chingri malaikari (shrimp curry in a coconut cream sauce) and mishti holud/basanti pulao ( sweet yellow pilaf) would definitely claim a spot in the roster. However, the latter goes extremely well with a kosha mangsho ( mutton in a thick gravy) too. I cook these two especially on festival days. It helps me cherish my own memories and make some for G at the same time.
Chingri Malaikari Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 75
Print Recipe
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Shrimp is a luscious, velvetty coconut cream sauce with a fragrant Indian rice pilaf. Try this Chingri Malaikari Recipe at Home.
Ingredients
Chingri Malaikari
- Chingri (Shrimp) – 1 1/2 pounds
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – 2tsp (divided), to taste
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp, divided
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Bay Leaf – 2
- Cinnamon stick -1
- Cumin powder – 2 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Tomato paste – 1 tsp
- Green chili – 2
- Coconut milk – 1 can
- Onion paste – 2 tbsp
- Garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Mustard paste – 1 tsp (optional)
- Garam Masala(Indian spice mix) – 1 tsp
- Ghee(clarified butter) – 1 tsp
Mishti Holud Pulao
- Basmati rice – 1 cup
- Water – 2 cup
- Turmeric – 1 1/2 tsp
- Ginger paste – 1 tsp
- Salt – 2 tsp, to taste
- Sugar – 2 tbsp
- Shah Jeera (Black cumin seeds) – 1 tsp
- Bay Leaf – 2
- Green Cardamom – 3-4
- Black Cardamom – 1
- Cinnamon stick -1
- Cloves – 3
- Cashews – 1/3 cup
- Raisins – 1/3 cup
- Ghee (clarified butter) – 3 tbsp
- Saffron – few strands (optional)
- Milk – 2 tbsp
Instructions
CHINGRI MALAIKARI
- Peel, de-vein and wash shrimp.
- Smear with half tsp turmeric and salt. Let it stand for a few minutes.
- In a pan, heat a tablespoon of oil.
- Add the shrimp and fry on both sides for couple of minutes until it looks pink. Do not overcook them.
- In another pan, heat the remaining oil.
- Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
- Throw in the onion, garlic and tomato paste. Stir and fry for about 4-5 mins.
- Add salt and the remaining spices, mustard paste and fry for another 3-4 mins. Add a couple of tablespoons of water at this point if required.
- Pour in the coconut milk and let it come to a simmer.
- Add the shrimp, green chilies, sugar and let it all simmer for 3-4 mins.
- Add garam masala and ghee and remove from the stove.
- Serve with the mishti holud pulao( recipe below) or plain rice.
MISHTI HOLUD PULAO
- Soak the rice in water for 30 mins.
- After 30 mins, drain the water and add the turmeric, sugar and salt. Mix it well.
- In a pan, heat the ghee.
- Add in the cinnamon, pounded cardamom, cloves, black cumin seeds, ginger paste and bay leaf. Fry for a few seconds.
- Add in the cashews and cumin and fry for a few more seconds. Be careful not to burn the raisins.
- Add in the rice and fry for 3-4 minutes. Do not over mix and be careful not to break the grains.
- Pour in the water and let it come to a simmer.
- Cook until all the liquid is evaporated.
- Add the saffron to the milk and stir. Pour on the rice.
- Turn off the stove and cover it and let it stand undisturbed for 20-30 minutes.
- After that, uncover and fluff the rice from bottom up with a spatula.
- The pulao/rice is ready to serve.
Notes
- For the Malaikari, the curry will not be too dry nor will it be runny. So check for the consistency. At any point, if it looks too dry add ¼ cup of water and if it there is too much liquid, then fish out the shrimp and let the liquid reduce to the desired consistency and add back the shrimp. Never boil the curry for long along with the shrimp.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 17
- Sodium: 2405
- Fat: 41
- Saturated Fat: 24
- Unsaturated Fat: 15
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 65
- Protein: 9
- Cholesterol: 17
Keywords: Chingri Malakari Recipe