Aloo Chingrir Shorshe Bata Diye Jhal, is a light mustard-based prawn curry cooked with potato chunks.
At the home front..
The man of the house finally returned home after a long year! The lady of the house has finally been able to fight directly instead of fighting over call / Skype! The baby of the house decided to chant “Narod Narod” at that point. She played the role of a positive catalyst to spice up the fight! You may wonder what’s then! Well, the apartment turned into a home after a long time 🙂 and then the husbandman requested a comfort meal which according to him he was missing while he was in Saudi! I then decided to cook a simple Bong meal consisting of the typical bong “Macher Jhal” (Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal in this case) along with rice.
Light Prawn Curry and why
I finally ended up cooking a runny curry with Prawns and Potatoes to accommodate the Garam Bhat! As I am still in the recovery phase as I had a slipped disk and was recommended by my dearest Orthopedic not to move for an entire month and I naturally skipped cooking as much as possible. Even now I am trying to go with fuss-free cooking as much as possible and mostly opting for comfort dishes.
When it comes to comfort food and specifically something true, blue Bengali my Bong soul can’t resist but to cook the dishes which I have had several times while growing up in my north Kolkata household. The dish I made for lunch a few days back is none other than a simple yet light Mustard based curry of Prawn and Potato; Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal it is.
This particular dish what we call Aloo Chingrir Jhal as well is a family favorite. We used to have it at least twice or even thrice a month at my ancestral house. Mamoni (Aunt) was probably the best cook who used to make it for the entire Chatterjee clan. The recipe calls for some basic ingredients apart from either medium size Prawn or Shrimp and Potato. I still remember cherishing a bowl full of Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal along with hot steamed rice prepared by Mamoni while having my hurried lunch during my university days and even before while growing up!
Comfort Prawn Curry - Aloo Chingrir Shorshe Bata Diye Jhal
Those days, we were not offered fancy food every now and then in our big fat joint family but when it came to the taste of food nothing could match those simple the simplest dishes prepared by my mother and aunts in our well-managed joint family. The number of Prawns per person was substituted by the runniness of the curry. The use of potatoes was to accommodate a family of 15 people with 500 g Prawns! I tried to learn as much from them and I try to recreate those quite often in my kitchen not only to cherish the traditional bong dishes but to cherish the beautiful memory of my childhood.
Instructions
To make Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal, I prefer to use de-shelled Prawn or Shrimp and that is the reason I used to opt for Frozen Shrimp when we were in Gurgaon. In Kolkata, however, the availability of fresh prawns is quite good in the local market and I naturally opted for the fresh ones. The curry is mustard-based and hence either Mustard paste or Mustard Powder can be used though I prefer to use fresh Mustard paste. Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal goes perfectly with hot steamed rice.
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Recipe Card
Aloo Chingrir Shorshe Bata Diye Jhal (A light curry with Prawn and Potato Wedges)
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4-5 People 1x
Description
Aloo Chingrir Shorshe Bata Diye Jhal, a light mustard-based curry with Prawn and potato
Ingredients
- 250g Medium sized Prawn (cleaned, de-vein, and de-shelled)
- 3 Potato (Medium size)
- 2 Tomato (Medium size)
- 4-5 Green Chili
- 2 Tbsp. Mustard Seed
- 1 Tsp. Nigella Seed/ Kalojire
- 2 Tsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1.5 Tsp. Salt or to taste
- 3 Tbsp. + 1 Tsp. Mustard Oil
Instructions
- Make a paste of Mustard Seed by adding little salt and water.
- Now mix a cup full of water with the Mustard Paste and using a strainer strain the liquid to discard the husk. Keep it aside.
- Peel Potatoes and cut them into medium-thick wedges and rub some turmeric Powder.
- Chop Tomatoes and slit green chilies.
- Wash and clean Prawns and de-shell and de-vein those.
- Rub clean Prawns with some Turmeric Powder and Salt and leave for 10 minutes.
- Heat Oil in a Pan and fry Potatoes on medium flame till potatoes soften.
- Strain fried potatoes from oil and keep fried potatoes aside.
- In the remaining oil fry Prawns in medium flame and remove from the oil.
- Now temper remaining oil with Nigella seed.
- Add chopped tomato and slit green chili to the tempering and cook for 2-3 minutes in medium flame till tomato softens.
- Now add Mustard paste to the tempering along with Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, and Salt.
- Add 2 Cup water and bring it to boil.
- Now add fried potato wedges and fried prawns to the curry
- Cook for around 6-7 minutes on low flame.
- Add water in between to adjust the level of curry.
- Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal is typically served with curry on the thinner side. However, you may adjust the level based on your preference.
- Drizzle some Mustard Oil before removing the curry from the heat.
- Serve Aloo Chingrir Shorshe bata diye Jhal with hot steamed rice.
Notes
Use either a “ShilNora” (Shil Batta) or grinding jar of the food processor to make the mustard paste.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: Bengali
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 100g
- Calories: 243
- Sugar: 2.2g
- Sodium: 61mg
- Fat: 12.8g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3.6g
- Protein: 10.6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: shorshe aloo chingri, prawn curry recipe
Let's connect over traditional Bengali shorshe Aloo Chingri Recipe
I would love to see a picture if you are making the prawns following my recipe. You can share here at dolonchttrj@gmail.com. You can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and share it through Instagram as well. and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
Bengali Mustard-based Prawn Curry Recipe Pin for You
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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