Chingri Malai Curry

Ingredients:

Jumbo prawns or lobsters, with the skin over the heads and tails being intact (deveined): 4 (medium-sized)

Freshly scraped coconut paste: ¾ cup

Turmeric powder (for marination): ¾ tsp

Salt (for marination): ¾ tsp

Mustard oil: ½ cup

Onion (very finely chopped): 1 cup

Ginger paste: ¾ tsp

Freshly made black-mustard-seed paste: 1.5 tsp

Whole dried bay leaf: 1 (big)

Whole cinnamon (cassia bark): 1 (one-inch stick)

Whole green cardamoms: 4

Raisin paste: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

Cumin powder: ¾ tsp

Turmeric powder (for the curry): ½ tsp

Salt  to taste

Granulated sugar: ¼ tsp

Ghee : 1 tsp

Green chillies: 4

Water: 1 cup

Method:

Marinate the lobsters (or jumbo prawns) for atleast 15 min, with turmeric powder and salt

Heat oil in  a pan. When it starts smoking, reduce the flame to medium and introduce the lobsters carefully and close the lid immediately to prevent sputtering. After 1 min, turn the lobsters and fry the other side for another minute. Remove the lobsters from the oil.

In the same hot oil, add the bay leaf, whole cinnamon , green cardamoms and wait for a few seconds. Add the cumin seeds and let these seeds turn light brown. Add the chopped onion and half the salt . Sauté for 7 min, or until the onion looks golden-brown and soft.

Add the turmeric and the cumin powders, combined with 4 tbsp water. Sauté continuouslyto prevent burning of the powders. Add the ginger paste and sauté again, sprinkling a little water if the onion mixture starts sticking to the pan. After 5 min, add the rest of the salt, sugar, red chilli powder, black-mustard-seed paste, raisin paste and coconut paste and sauté till the mixture starts separating from the oil.

At this stage, add the fried lobsters and sauté for 5 min at a simmered flame. Add whole green chillies and ¾ cup of water. Let the curry boil for 10 min, simmered and covered. Before serving, add the ghee to the curry.

 served with steamed rice.