Chingri maach die palong saak/ Spinach with shrimps

Whenever I asked my mom achha maa maach die palong shaak ranna kora jai na? (Can we add fish to spinach)

She use to reply me Na na palong shak r niraamish ranna i bhalo lage (spinach tastes best when cooked as vegetarian dish) till recently when she came back from my mamabari (her parent’s house) in Midnapore and told me

Janis aaj chingri maach die palong shaak khelm daarun laglo

It was then that she was convinced that one can cook spinach with fish. And of course getting an approval from my mother to cook spinach with shrimps, I plunged into this experiment. This preparation is as cooked in my mamabari and it was delicious.

Indeed, addition of shrimps to the spinach enhances the taste of spinach. But before you begin the preparation I must tell you few things.

Shrimp is an allergenic food for some people. Therefore you need to keep this in mind before preparation. The shells and the head should be removed properly otherwise it might be problematic for your stomach. Also, do not forget to devein the fish. The vein consists of lot of dirt which could also be troublesome for your stomach.

I also have vegetarian spinach recipes on my blog Palak Paneer

Course: Main course

Cuisine: Bengali (Indian)

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 250 g shrimps
• Palong saak/palak 1 bundle
• 1 cup of eggplant cut in cubes
• 1 potato peeled and cut into cubes
• 3-4 dry red  chilies
• 1 teaspoon of radhuni/wild celery seeds powder
• 3 tablespoons of mustard oil
• 2 green chilies slit
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoon of mustard paste
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Clean the shrimps properly. Remove the head and the shell and devein them. Marinade the shrimps with salt and turmeric powder.
2. Chop the palong shaak/spinach and clean them properly to remove all the soil from the palong shaak.
3. Take a kadai and add 1 tablespoon of oil to the kadai. Saute the marinated shrimps and keep them aside.
4. Now, add another 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the potatoes and eggplant, saute them and keep them aside.
5. Add the remaining oil to the kadai. Once the oil is hot, temper it with whole red chilies.
6. As the oil turns aromatic, add the  palong shaak to the kadai.
7. Now, add salt, turmeric powder, green chilies to the kadai and cook the shaak covered.
8. Also add the eggplant, potatoes and shrimps and continue cooking covered.
9. Cook till all the vegetables and fish are cooked properly and there is very little water in the kadai.
10. Add the mustard paste and radhuni powder to the kadai. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.
11. Turn off the flame and serve hot with steamed rice.

Thank you for stopping by. If you like the recipe do not forget to hit like. If you prepare this dish and publish your photos on Facebook and Instagram do tag #theepicureanfeast. Also for queries you can mail me epicureanfeast2019@gmail.com