Chinguri Bhajja ( Oriya Style Prawn Fry )

Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 80-100 rupees

Ingredients: Small/Medium sized Prawns ( 500 gm ), cumin powder ( 1 tsp ), red chillis ( 3-4 nos ), turmeric ( 1 tsp ), garlic pods ( 6-7 nos ), green chillis ( 2-3nos ), vegetable oil ( 3 tsp ), mustard oil ( 1 tsp ), salt .

Preparation: Wash the prawns and remove the veins while keeping the shell. Add salt and turmeric, keep aside for 10-15 mins for marination.

Cooking: Heat a pan. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil starts smoking, break the red chillis into 2-3 pieces and add to the pan.

Add the marinated prawn . Sprinkle cumin powder. Stir fry till almost cooked. Do not overcook as the prawns will lose their juices and become dry.

Add the mustard oil and cook for 2-3 mins. Remove from fire.

Crush the garlic pods and green chillis and add a little bit of salt. Serve with the fried prawns.

This preparation perfectly compliments 'pakhala bhata', an oriya rice dish popularly consumed during the summer.


Shrimp

Chingudi Besara Jholo

Cooking Time Required: 25-30 mins
Cost of preparation: 70-80 rupees

Ingredients: Small sized prawns ( 1 no.), mustard-fennel seeds (1/3 tsp), mustard seeds ( 1 tsp), garlic pods ( 6-7 nos ), green chilli ( 1 no ), mustard oil ( 1 tsp), turmeric ( 1 pinch), rice ( 1 tsp ), ambula ( 1 piece ), salt.

Preparation: Grind the mustard seeds and the garlic pods into a fine paste. Wash and clean the prawns.

Soak the rice for 2-3 hours. Grind into a fine paste. Soak the ambula and keep aside.

Cooking: Put a wok on the stove and put 3 tsp oil in it . Add the mustard-fennel seeds and green chilli. When the seeds start spluttering, add the prawns along with turmeric. Stir fry till the prawns turns red and all the water evaporates.

Add the mustard paste and salt along with two cups of water. Cook with the lid covered for about 10 minutes or till the prawn is softened. Add the rice paste, continously stirring the gravy all along. Then follow it with the ambula. Cook it for 5 mins. Add half tsp of mustard oil over it. Cook for 30 secs and remove from fire.

Serve with rice and dal.

The rice paste is used for thickening the gravy. The ambula can be substituted with tamarind. But make sure of using minimal quantity of the rice paste and ambula/tamarind.

Tip: This preparation tastes best with small prawns. For the bigger variety, try the masala curry. Refer to my other post Masala Dia maccha tarkari for the preparation process.