Chingri Bhaape

Prawns steamed in mustard sauce

  • Cooking time
    30 minutes
  • Calories
    kcal
Recommended by
97.5
%
of
16043
members who rated this recipe on Youtube

Chingri bhaape is a divine treat, and yet, it is ridiculously simple to make. It incorporates the rich flavours of freshly ground mustard, mellowed down with some coconut and yoghurt. While traditionally this dish has always been prepared in a steamer or double-boiler over a stove, we've used a microwave in this recipe.

This is an ideal dish to have on the menu if you are having guests over. You can prepare most of it (till Step 10 below) ahead of time, and steam the prawns in the microwave oven when the guests are ready to eat.

Books in this recipe

No items found.
Like the work we do? Help keep this site ad-free by making a donation.
Donate

Ingredients

Serves
4 servings
  • 300 g shelled and deveined prawns (400 g before cleaning)
  • 20 g mustard seeds (soaked overnight in water)
  • 20 g coconut (chopped)
  • 4 pieces green chillies (3 chopped + 1 slit)
  • 40 g yoghurt
  • 3 g turmeric powder
  • 12 g salt
  • 15 g sugar
  • 25 g mustard oil

Method

  1. Soak the mustard seeds in hot water for at least 2 hours. Alternatively, you can also soak them in regular water, overnight.
  2. Shell and devein the prawns. Keep the heads intact; they have all the flavour. The tails add a visual flair, so we keep them as well.
  3. Strain the mustard seeds and add to a grinder jar, along with the salt and 3 green chillies.
  4. Blitz into a fine paste with the help of 50 g water. Scrape down the sides as often as you need, and grind again. Repeat this process till you have a smooth paste.
  5. Now, while the mustard paste is still in the grinder, add the sugar, turmeric powder, and chopped coconut. Blitz again till the coconut breaks down.
  6. Transfer this paste to a microwave-safe bowl.
  7. Add in the yoghurt and mix till uniform.
  8. Fold in the prawns.
  9. Top off with mustard oil and a slit green chilli.
  10. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.
  11. Microwave for 5 minutes.
  12. IF YOU ARE NOT USING A MICROWAVE OVEN, place the prawns-and-mustard mixture in a covered steel container (such as a water-tight tiffin box). Bring an inch of water to boil in your pressure cooker or boiling pot. Now, carefully lower the tiffin box in the water. Be sure to check that the water level does not does not reach the lid of your tiffin box. If it does, throw away some of the water till it clears the lid. Cover up the pot/pressure cooker and allow the prawns to steam (for 10–12 minutes in the boiling pot OR for one whistle in a pressure cooker).

Recipe discussion

Did this recipe help you cook something that made you happy?

At Bong Eats, we are working to standardise Bengali recipes, and present them to the world in a way that anyone, anywhere will be able to cook Bengali food with confidence—even if they have never tasted it before. We want the world to know that there is Indian food beyond tikka masala.

A lot of time and money goes into creating precise recipes such as this one. We don't want to depend on advertisements that track our viewers' activities through third-party cookies; we do not want take sponsorship money from companies that don't make subpar products.

You can help us make this a sustainable venture that can employ talented local writers, editors, photographers, recipe-testers, and more. Donate to keep us going.

Make a One-time donation

Help us keep Bong Eats free and open for everyone by making a one-time contribution. You can donate as much as you want. No amount is too little.

Donate
Become a member ⭐️

Join to get access to a vibrant private community of people who full of people who love to cook, feed and eat. Get answers to your questions about recipes, techniques, where to find ingredients from fellow members. If you love cooking, this is the place for you.

Monthly LIVE cookalongs
Shiny new private forum
Adda after every video release
Personalised recommendations
✨ See Membership Perks ✨
OR

🧣 Winter 🫛

Bakes & Roasts

Posted on
December 21, 2023
by
Bong Eats

Winter is here. It is time to get baking. Here are some ideas, both savoury and sweet.

Read More »

✨ What's new?

View all »

Kochur Loti Chingri diye

Taro stolons cooked with mustard and prawns

  • 90 mins
  • 170
    kcal
Viewers liked this
%

Potoler Khosha Bata

A spicy, fudgy mash made of pointed gourd (potol) peels.

  • 60 mins
  • 90
    kcal
Viewers liked this
99.5
%

Palong Shaak Bhaja

Stir-fried spinach

  • 30 mins
  • 79
    kcal
Viewers liked this
98.9
%

Christmas Fruitcake without Alcohol

A festive, rich, spiced cake with dried fruits and nuts

  • 4 hours
  • kcal
Viewers liked this
%
See all New recipes »
More
prawn
recipes
View all »

Lau Chingri

This dry, curried bottle-gourd recipe is a family favourite, and can be cooked with or without the shrimp!

  • 60 mins
  • 154
    kcal

Kakrar Jhal

Bengali crab curry with a twist

  • 90 minutes
  • 272
    kcal

Prawn Cocktail

Prawns poached and coated with a sauce made of mayonnaise, ketchup, cream, Tobasco sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

  • 30 minutes
  • kcal
More
mustard
recipes
View all »

Shorshe-posto diye Katla Machher Jhal

Lightly fried Katla (Catla) or Rui (Rohu) cooked in a sauce rich with flavours of mustard and poppy seeds.

  • 40 mins
  • 234
    kcal

Parshe Machher Jhal Shorshe

Fresh parshe cooked in mustard paste and yoghurt, simmered with flavourful brinjal and dal'er bori.

  • 30 minutes
  • kcal

Bhetki paturi

Four interesting variations on this popular Bengali recipe of Bhetki fish fillets steamed in banana-leaf parcels.

  • 1 hour
  • kcal
More
steamed
recipes
View all »

Bhetki paturi

Four interesting variations on this popular Bengali recipe of Bhetki fish fillets steamed in banana-leaf parcels.

  • 1 hour
  • kcal

Chingri Bhaape

Prawns steamed in mustard sauce

  • 30 minutes
  • kcal

Ilish Bhapa

This prized Bengali recipe for hilsa steamed in mustard sauce looks gorgeous, but cooks quickly. Perfect for dazzling guests!

  • 40 minutes
  • 300
    kcal