Bengali Indian · Dinner

Chingri malai curry

Name: Chingri malai curry
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Bengali Indian
Ingredients: 2 pounds shell-on jumbo prawns or shrimp, heads on if available; 1 teaspoon turmeric, divided; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 3 tablespoons mustard oil; 1 tablespoon ghee; 2 Indian bay leaves; 4 green cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 1 small cinnamon stick; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 large yellow onion, grated to a paste; 1 tablespoon grated ginger; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder; 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, whisked; 4 green chiles, slit; 1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk; 1 cup thick full-fat coconut milk; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoon Bengali gorom moshla; 6 cups steamed Gobindobhog or basmati rice

Large prawns in a subtle Bengali coconut-milk curry with gently braised onion, ginger, green chile, and cardamom-cinnamon gorom moshla.

About 1 hr 5 minTotal

About 1 hr 5 minActive

$$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Use another covered 12-inch oven-safe skillet or transfer before the oven finish.
Best large covered skillet
All-Clad D3 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid · 41126
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use another covered 12-inch oven-safe skillet or transfer before the oven finish.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the twelve-inch footprint, fitted lid, tri-ply heat distribution, 600°F oven and broiler rating, current model 41126 and UPC, ownership burden, and exact Amazon identity. Kwilt has not cooked with this pan.
All-Clad D3 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid · 41126: Its twelve-inch cooking surface gives rice, shrimp, meat, and vegetables room to cook evenly, while the fitted lid and 600°F oven rating cover both the lidded stovetop method and the shepherd's-pie oven finish. Trade-off: It is a premium-priced pan, food can stick without sound preheating and fat control, and the long handle plus lid need more storage room than a basic skillet.
Another workable path: Use another oven-safe 12-inch skillet with a well-fitting lid; if the handle has a lower heat limit, transfer oven-finished food to a suitable baking dish.
Sources
All-Clad model 41126 specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

2 pounds shell-on jumbo prawns or shrimp, heads on if available
1 teaspoon turmeric, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons mustard oil
1 tablespoon ghee
2 Indian bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large yellow onion, grated to a paste
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, whisked
4 green chiles, slit
1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk
1 cup thick full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Bengali gorom moshla
6 cups steamed Gobindobhog or basmati rice

Instructions

Remove the intestinal vein from each prawn while leaving shells and heads intact if desired; rinse briefly and pat very dry. Coat with half the turmeric and half the salt.
Heat mustard oil until shimmering. just until their shells turn pink, about 45 seconds per side, and remove immediately; they are not yet fully cooked.
Lower heat and add ghee, bay, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and cumin. Add onion paste and cook patiently, stirring and scraping, until its raw smell is gone and it turns pale gold without burning, 10 to 12 minutes. Add ginger, chile powder, and remaining turmeric for 1 minute.
Lower heat, stir in whisked yogurt gradually, and cook until smooth. Add green chiles, thin coconut milk, remaining salt, and sugar and simmer gently 8 minutes until cohesive.
Add prawns and accumulated juices and simmer only until opaque, curled into a loose C, and 145°F, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in thick coconut milk and Bengali gorom moshla on very low heat without boiling; serve with rice.

BengalBengali river and celebration cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Bengali chingri malaikari is a celebration curry of large prawns in subtle coconut gravy, with shells and heads traditionally contributing depth.

Chingri malaikari is an iconic Bengali celebration curry for large tiger or freshwater prawns in a subtle coconut sauce. Bengali sources connect malaikari to 'Malay curry' rather than dairy malai alone. Shells and heads add traditional depth but require careful cleaning; large peeled shrimp are a transparent practical substitute. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Treat Bong Eats' unusually broad recommendation signal as qualitative rather than converting it into a star rating, preserve the Bengali large-prawn and subtle coconut pattern, and add explicit seafood-cleaning and 145°F controls.

Sources

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