A day off means the pleasure of sitting down to eat with the family, and a delicious dish makes it even better. Chingri polao is a special dish that not only satisfies the palate but makes mealtimes more memorable. Spices worked into fragrant basmati rice, together with tender fresh prawns, make a unique combination of flavours. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
- Prawns, half a kg
- Chopped onion, 1 cup
- Chopped tomato, 1 cup
- Green chillies, 4-5
- Salt to taste
- Basmati or polao rice, half a kg
- Ginger paste, 1 tablespoon
- Garlic paste, 2 tablespoons
- Whole garam masala, 5g
- Bay leaves, 2
- Dried chilli powder, 1 tablespoon
- Turmeric powder, half a tablespoon
- Coriander powder, 1 tablespoon
- Sour yoghurt, half a cup
- Rose water, 1 teaspoon, and kewra water, half a teaspoon
Method
First wash the basmati or polao rice and soak it for an hour, then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, marinate the cleaned and washed prawns with salt, turmeric and chilli powder.
Heat oil in a pan, lightly fry the prawns and set them aside. In the same pan, fry the bay leaves, whole garam masala and chopped onion. When the onion turns light golden, add the chopped tomato and stir well, pressing it down. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Now add 2 tablespoons of sour yoghurt and cook the spices further, adding a little water so the masala cooks through well.
Add the coriander powder, chilli powder, salt and some green chillies to the masala, stir and cook for 5 minutes. When the oil rises to the top, add a little sugar and the fried prawns, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then lift the prawns out into a separate bowl. Add the washed rice to the same masala and mix well, then pour in as much hot water as needed. You can add a few more green chillies if you like. Cover and cook until the rice is done.
When the rice is nearly cooked, sprinkle over kewra water to taste and a few drops of rose water, and keep covered a little longer. Then stir the polao, turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Your fragrant, colourful chingri polao is ready to enjoy with family and friends on your day off.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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