Indian cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Chingri Bhapa

Bengali shrimp in a paste of mustard, coconut and yogurt, gently steamed in a water bath.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 3 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 4 tbsp grated coconut
• 100 g plain yogurt
• 4 green chilies (long, mild variety)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Soak the mustard seeds for 30 min. in lukewarm water; rinse the shrimp, pat dry and mix with 1/2 tsp turmeric and salt.
2. Grind the drained mustard seeds very finely with the grated coconut, 2 green chilies and 4 tbsp water into a creamy, pale yellow paste.
3. Stir the yogurt smooth and mix with the mustard paste, the remaining turmeric and 3 tbsp mustard oil — the yogurt must not be lumpy or it will curdle while steaming.
4. Fold the shrimp into the paste and transfer to a flat, heatproof dish, lay the remaining chilies halved lengthwise on top and seal the dish tightly with foil.
5. Set the dish into a pot with 3 cm of boiling water and steam covered over low heat for 15 min. until the sauce has set and the shrimp curl up.
6. Remove the foil, drizzle with the remaining raw mustard oil and serve straight from the dish with steamed rice.