Pepe Chingri Ghonto | Bengali Raw Papaya Mishmash with Small Prawns (or Shrimp)

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

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.

Print

Recipe Card

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