Updated on December 27, 2022December 27, 2022Lunch/ Dinner Recipes

How to make my favorite Coconut shrimp curry

Now this shrimp curry is a family favorite and I have consulted my grandmother for the authentic recipe so you’re getting the real deal. I feel coconut and shrimp pair amazingly well together and are widely used in many dishes across the world. One such dish is this Bengali favorite : chingri’r malai curry where chingri means shrimp and malai curry refers to a creamy curry sauce. True to its name, this curry is creamy, uses basic spices and absolutely delicious.

Chingri'r malai curry : A classic Bengali shrimp dish — Chingri’r malai curry : A classic Bengali shrimp dish

Yield	2 servings
Prep time	0 h	5 mins
Cook time	0 h	45 mins
Total time	0 h	50 mins

Ingredients needed to make the shrimp curry

Some of the ingredients needed for the shrimp curry — Some of the ingredients needed for the dish

1 lb jumbo / colossal shrimp

2 tbsp mustard oil

2 tbsp ghee

Whole spices : 2 bay leaves, 2 dried red chilis, half a stick of cinnamon, 2 cardamoms and 3 cloves

Ground spices : 1 tsp each of turmeric, cumin powder, red chili powder and garam masala

400 ml coconut milk

1 tbsp sugar

1 onion’s paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

5-6 slit green Chilis

Which is the best shrimp for this curry?

Ideally, if you were making this shrimp in India, you’d use this prawn variety called ‘Tiger prawns’ because they’re huge. But focussing on the huge, any variety of shrimp/prawn should work for the dish. I got a packet of colossal shrimp. Jumbo should be good too. If you can buy them with their head on, even better but I couldn’t so I had to make do with what I had.

Colossal or jumbo shrimp to be used for the dish — Fry the shrimp for 3 mins on each side

Devein and clean the shrimps. Then coat them well with 1 tsp of turmeric and salt and shallow fry in oil for about 3 mins on each side. Keep aside

Directions for cooking

Add 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and heat it up
Temper the oil with whole spices
Next goes the onion paste. Fry until golden and the raw smell disappears. This should take 10 mins.
Add the ground spices and fry for 3-5 mins. Add a splash of coconut milk if the mixture gets too dry or is about to burn
Once the spices are fried, add the rest of the coconut milk and simmer on low heat for about 5-7 mins
Throw in the shrimp and cook covered for 10 more mins
Add another tbsp of ghee and take the pan off the heat
Rest for a few minutes before serving with rice

This shrimp curry is traditionally served with rice

Bonus tips to make the perfect shrimp curry

1. Add 1 tbsp salt while frying the onions so they caramelize
2. Don’t fry the shrimp too much or cook them for more than 10-12 mins to prevent them from become hard and rubbery
3. Check for salt throughout, the dish will be slightly on the sweater side but we’ll balanced with the heat and spices.
4. Add 1 tbsp ghee with the oil while tempering spices and add another tbsp at the end for an enhanced flavor.