Chingri Posto (Prawns cooked in Poppy Seed Paste)
Chingri Posto. Delectable prawns cooked in the humble posto. The chilli-spiked posto and the slightly caramelised onions make this dish divine !!
Ingredients
- 300 g medium sized prawns
- 5 tbsps posto paste (Poppy seeds soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes, then removed from water and blended to a paste with 2 tbsp of water and 3-4 green chillies)
- 3 large potatoes diced into small cubes
- 2 large onions chopped
- 3-4 green chillies slit
- 1.5 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 4 tbsp mustard oil
- 1/4 cup corinader leaves finely chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Deshell, de-vein and clean the prawns carefully, keeping the head and tails intact.
- Rub the prawns with a little turmeric powder and salt. Heat 1 tbsp of mustard oil in a frying pan till smoking hot. Cool the oil. Add the prawns and fry till light golden (be careful not to over fry the prawns). Keep aside.
- Fry potato cubes till golden brown and tender. Keep aside.
- Reheat the same oil, add the chopped onions, green chillies and fry till the onions are soft. Add the remaining turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
- Cook over a moderate flame till oil has been released from the masala. Splash a little water if needed, making sure that the masala does not stick to the pan.
- At this stage, add the fried potatoes and stir in the posto paste. Continue cooking for 4-5 mins over a moderate flame.
- Add 1/2 cup of warm water, give it a nice stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the fried prawns, adjust the salt and cook for a further 3-4 mins till posto gravy thickens.
- Finish with a generous drizzle of mustard oil and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice.