Chingri or Prawn Paturi

Paturi means cooking something wrapped in fresh leaves, generally in plantain leaves. Traditionally the wrapped parcels used to be placed inside the pan of steaming freshly cooked rice. The steam provided enough heat to cook the paturi.

Prawn paturi has become one of the mainstay of authentic Bengali spread. When the tender prawns are cooked inside a plantain leaf with mustard, coconut paste, slender green chilies and golden yellow mustard oil, it takes you to such a height that every other food looks ordinary.

Ingredients

1. 1 lb. medium sized prawns cleaned
2. 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
3. 1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
4. 3 tbsp. shredded coconut fresh or frozen
5. 7,8 Green chilies
6. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
7. Mustard oil ( this is one of the key ingredients of this recipe, so please don’t substitute it with any other oil ) 
8. Salt
9. Sugar 
10. Plantain leaf (You can use pumpkin leaf as well if you don’t get it ) 
11. kitchen twine

Procedure

Wash the prawns and rub it with turmeric and salt.

In a blender add mustard seeds, shredded coconut, 2 green chilies and a pinch of salt. Make a smooth paste of all these ingredients by adding very little water to it.

Transfer the content in a mixing bowl and taste if the salt and sugar is properly  balanced or not. Adjust them as desired.

Now dip the prawns in this marinade so that each of them are well coated with the spice paste.

Once it is done add 2 tbsp. of mustard oil to it and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Cut the banana leaves into rectangular pieces. You can swipe them over the flame or can dip them in hot water for 2-3 minutes to make them more pliable.

Rub little mustard oil on the glossy sides of each  leaves

Place 2-3 prawns along with mustard paste in the center of the leaf. Place one green chili on top of it and fold the sides by overlapping each other to make a parcel. Secure them by tying each of them with kitchen twine.

If you have a steamer steam the parcels for 10 minutes. I don’t have, so I made them in microwave. Arrange the parcels in  single layer in a microwave safe dish and cook it in full power for 10 minutes.

Cut the thread to open the parcel before serving.