Large river prawns simmered in coconut milk with ginger, a little ghee and warm whole spices — mild, sweet and rich, and a dish for guests and weddings.
What makes it chingri malai curry
Big prawns, heads on.
Coconut milk, not dairy cream.
Whole garam masala — cardamom, cinnamon, clove — and ghee.
Mild and faintly sweet, not hot.
Where it comes from
Made with golda chingri, the big freshwater prawns of the delta, heads left on for the richness inside them. Despite its name, the sauce is coconut milk, not cream.
Where the name comes from is disputed: some say malai here is cream, for its richness; others that it echoes Malay, and that the dish came to Bengal by way of traders from Southeast Asia. Either way, it is a West Bengal favourite, and, in the old joke, the Ghoti's answer to the Bangal's hilsa.