Malai Chingrir Polao

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Chingrir malaikari, a quintessential bengali preparation made with large tiger prawns (bagda chingri) or giant freshwater prawns (golda chingri) in a creamy coconut-milk sauce. While we were child, special fried rice and polao used to be always our favourite.

Therefore, my mother used to often create polaos from the sauces of the curries that she prepared. One of her creation was malai chingrir polao. When chingri/prawns were cooked at home it used to often be Chingrir Kasha, Doodh chingri or Chingrir malaikari.

But sometimes when we demanded also a polao along with it, often my mother used to save her work by making malai chingrir polao.

Malai Chingrir polao is super easy to prepare and could be a great party platter.

Step by step instructions to make Malai Chingrir Polao

Wash the rice properly. Strain the water and let it air dry for about half an hour.

Marinate the prawns with turmeric powder and salt and keep them aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make a paste of the onions and ginger and keep it aside. Also keep the coconut milk ready. Since the amount of rice is 1½ cup, we will need double the amount of fluid i.e. 3 cups or 675g of coconut milk.

In a deep bottomed kadai or pot, take 2 tablespoons of ghee and heat it. Saute the air dried rice in the ghee on low medium flame till the rice changes its colour. Keep the rice aside in a plate.

In the same pot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it. Saute the marinated prawns and keep them aside. Be careful not to overdo it. Overdoing the prawns will make them hard and rubbery.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it. Temper the hot oil with bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves.

As the oil turns aromatic, add the sliced onions and saute them for about a minute.

Now, add the onion and ginger paste to the kadai and saute them for about half a minute.

Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to the kadai. Continue sauteing the spice mixture till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan. Add splashes of water if necessary.

As you see oil leaving the sides of the pan, add the thin coconut milk to the kadai. Mix the spice mixture to the coconut milk properly.

Then add the rice, slit green chilies and the fried prawns to the kadai, followed by the thick coconut milk. Cover and cook the rice with once or twice stirring in between. As the fluid is almost completely absorbed and rice almost done, add the bengali garam masala powder and ghee to the kadai and mix everything gently.

Reduce the flame and let it cook completely. All of the fluid will eventually get absorbed by the rice. Let the rice rest for about 10 minutes and you are ready to serve.