Pepe Chingri Ghonto. Slow-cooked Kacha Pepe with Choto Chingri, the smell of Ghee, Gorommoshla, and Adaa Bata, and steamy rice to soak it all up. Do I need to translate it all? Please see below!
Jump to:
- Niramish Ghonto or Amish Ghonto!
- Pepe Chingri Ghonto or Penpe-r Ghawnto Choto Chingri Diye
- Comforting Pepe Chingri Ghonto and why this blogpost...
- Small Prawns or Shrimps?
- Instruction
- Substitution
- Pepe Chingri Ghonto - Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe Card
- Bengali Side Dish Recipes
- Let's Connect!
- Bengali Pepe Ghonto Chingri diye Recipe Pin for you
First thing first- Kacha Pepe stands for Raw Papaya; Choto Chingri is Small Prawns. Ghee is clarified butter and for Bengali Gorommoshla you can click on the link. Oh! Adaa Bata is ginger paste and last but not least Pepe Chingri Ghonto is a balanced and comforting mishmash cooked with raw papaya and small prawns (or shrimp).
Niramish Ghonto or Amish Ghonto!
Well, prawns or shrimps are part of this Pepe Chingri Ghonto and hence, this one is non-veg Bengali Delicacy.
Ghonto is a Bengali side and is characterized by the texture of the dish. In addition, the use of Ghee, Bengali Garam Masala, and Asafoetida aka Hing are kind of a must while cooking Bengali Ghonto. If you wish to cook a veg ghonto at home you can try Mochar Ghonto Narkel ar Bhaja Bori diye aka Bengali Banana Blossom Curry. Kochu Shak er Ghonto (also known as Taro Leaf Mishmash) is another famous Bengali ghonto. If you prefer non-veg, I already have the recipe of Pui Chingri Ghonto aka Malabar Spinach Mishmash with Prawns (with Potato and Pumpkin) recipe here!
At home, different kinds of Ghonto, Chorchori, Chechki were the regular dishes that were part of the lunch menu. Mostly they used to cook a scrumptious Veg ghonto and Prawns were fried and added later so that both veg and non-veg versions were available. We had a joint family and believe me it was difficult to draw a separate menu for each day keeping in mind each and every one was a tough job. My mother and aunts (sister-in-law in the latter part) were (still are) pros at creating such menus.
Pepe Chingri Ghonto or Penpe-r Ghawnto Choto Chingri Diye
Errrrr! What's in a name? Well, everything. Pronunciation matters I suppose and so do flavors. Go by any of the names you find easy to enunciate. Else just call it Bengali raw papaya and prawns stir-fry. The two names I mentioned or a few other are used for this flavorful Bengali Mishmash cooked with raw papaya and small prawns/ shrimps!
Comforting Pepe Chingri Ghonto and why this blogpost...
The last few days were quite bad on the home front. My father was hospitalized. I was in complete denial. As a result, I was kind of neglecting Pasta at home after the office. All thanks to Luchi and Coffee (our doggos), Pasta coped with her Dadu's hospitalization phase. She didn't complain. We rarely talked except the bedtime. I stopped cooking and taking her out.
Finally, last Sunday I decided to cook something. I had both Shrimp and small prawns in the freezer. Pasta requested a simple pasta and I made some Shrimp and Spinach in Cream Sauce to go with Pasta's pasta! Then I picked the prawns and picked raw papaya as well. The spices are rather basic. I scrapped the papaya; arrange the spices and also some ghee and then made a bowl full of Pepe Chingri Ghonto. Loaded with the flavors of small prawns, Bengali Gorom Moshla, and Ghee, this was something so very close to my Amherst Street Residence.
Maa came to our place to be prepared for baba. It was a blessing. I needed Maa to be close to me; very very close. We ate together on Sunday. In fact, Maa told me to click a picture or two. I obliged and somehow felt good. Baba came home yesterday after a prolonged stay of 16 days. I will for sure write what he did wrong; so very wrong sometimes! For now, I guess, I just need to write a simple feel-good recipe as good as watching Golpo Holeo Sotti on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Have I missed mentioning Mehebub? I did I suppose 🙂 . At times, it is beyond mentioning someone. At times, someone being present matters more; the support does and it was there all through.
I guess I have written enough about the family. Let me get back to the recipe.
Small Prawns or Shrimps?
Aren't they interchangeable? Okay joking! But they are!!! Simply speaking both can be used in this recipe. They have a lot in common yet they are different species. Prawns are freshwater while shrimp prefer saltwater. Anatomically as well, there are differences! However, use whichever you get fresh and you are non-allergic to.
Instruction
See the Recipe Card for Measurement and detailed process
Use dressed prawns. See Recipe Card for measurement.
Marinate prawns with salt and also turmeric powder. See Recipe Card for measurement.
Do not over-fry or over-cook Prawns.
Fry the prawns in mustard oil. See Recipe Card for measurement and timing.
Grate green Papaya
Temper oil with bay leaf, dry red chili and also cumin seed.
Add Asafoetida
Add Ginger Paste as well
Cook Raw papaya with turmeric powder and salt. See Recipe Card for measurement.
Add Sugar and cumin powder as well.
Chopped Green Chilis are a must.
Add fried prawns, ghee and Bengali Garam Masala and cook just for a while.
Substitution
Prawn with Shrimp and Shrimp with Prawn 😛 . I cannot really advise a substitution for raw papaya when the recipe is for Raw Papaya mishmash.
Pepe Chingri Ghonto - Frequently Asked Questions
Yes yes and yes! Don't even think of using ripe papaya!
Absolutely. Without Prawn or Shrimp, this will make a very nice Bengali Pepe Ghonto. You need to adjust the cooking time though. I guess for that I need to write the recipe for Niramish Pepe Ghonto separately.
I use both interchangeably depending on availability. Freshness matters a lot. If you are allergic to any of these, just skip them.
Traditionally Bengali Ghonto is cooked with Ghee, Bengali Gorommoshla, and Hing aka Asafoetida. You can skip Ghee to cook a less-calorie version, however, it would not taste the same. How about using Ghee moderately?
Recipe Card
Pepe Chingri Ghonto | Bengali Raw Papaya Mishmash with Small Prawns (or Shrimp)
Pepe Chingri Ghonto aka Bengali Choto Chingri diye Pepe Ghonto is a light and flavorful mishmash cooked with raw aka Green papaya and small prawns (or shrimp).
Ingredients
- 500 g Green Papaya
- 300 g small prawns or shrimps cleaned and dressed
- 5 Green Chili
- 1 Tbsp. Ginger Paste
- 2 Tbsp. Mustard Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Ghee
Tempering
- 1 Dry Red Chili
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Tsp. Cumin Seed
- ½ Tsp. Asafoetida Hing
Spices
- 1.5 Tsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp. Sugar
- 1 Tsp. Bengali Garam Masala
- 1 Tsp. Cumin Powder
- 1.5 Tsp. Salt
Instructions
- Wash and clean prawns. It is better to use dressed prawns without shell for this recipe.
- Marinate Prawns with ½ Tsp. each of Salt and Turmeric Powder.
- Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan.
- Fry the prawns for 3 minutes on low flame and strain those.
- Keep the oil in the same pan. The rest of the cooking will be done on the same pan having the oil. This way the mishmash will be flavored with the essence of prawns.
- Remove the skin of the raw papaya.
- Remove the seeds as well.
- Now using a grater, grate the papaya.
- Re-heat the oil in the pan.
- Temper the Oil with Dry Red Chili, Bay Leaves and also Cumin Seed.
- Add Asafoetida aka Hing as well.
- After a thorough mix cook for ½ minute or so.
- Do not burn the spices.
- Now add the Ginger Paste and mix quickly.
- If needed sprinkle little water to avoid burning.
- Now add the grated Papaya followed by 1 Tsp. Turmeric Powder and 1 Tsp. Salt.
- Add Cumin Powder as well.
- Mix thoroughly.
- At this point add sugar and mix
- Now add chopped Green Chilis (slit).
- Mix again and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 10 minutes on low flame.
- Stir in between if needed.
- The papaya will release moisture and will be cooked in the same.
- Once done, add fried prawns, followed by Ghee and Bengali Garam Masala.
- Lightly mix and switch off the flame.
- Serve Pepe Chingri Ghonto hot with steamed rice and Daal such as Bhaja Moong Daal.
Notes
- Instead of small prawns, you can use shrimp as well.
- You can adjust the spices based on need.
Nutrition
Bengali Side Dish Recipes
- Bengali Veg Daal (also known as Picnic Special Vegetable Daal | Shobji Diye Moong Dal | Yellow Split Pea cooked with Veggies)
- Bengali Chorbir Bora (also known as Mutton Fat Fritters)
- Posto Diye Laushak Bhate (also known as Bengali Bottle Gourd leaves Mash with Poppyseed Paste)
- Sada Aloor Dum (also known as White Dum Aloo Bengali style)
- Chingri diye Pui Metuli Chorchori
- Chingri Bati Chorchori (also known as Chingri Macher Batichorchori)
- Bengali Mete Chorchori (also known as Mutton Liver side with Potato chunks)
- Potol Bata (also known as Potol Bhate)
- Labra (also known as Bengali Labra Tarkari)
- Macher Teler Chorchori (also known as Fish Fat, Fish liver & Intestine Mishmash with Potatoes and Eggplant)
- Paneer er Dalna (also known as Niramish Paneer Er Torkari)
- Bhangachora Shukto aka Bhangachora Torkari
- Mamlette er Torkari (also known as Omelette er Torkari aka Bengali Omelette Curry)
Let's Connect!
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 Pepe Ghonto Chingri diye 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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