Chingri paturi

Debjani Chatterjee Alam’s Chingri Paturi encloses prawns in banana leaves with a mustard, poppy-seed, coconut and plain-curd paste. Her published version selects frozen jumbo prawns and describes a soft, succulent finish with mustard flavour prominent in the coating.

The prawns are defrosted under running water, drained and marinated with turmeric, salt and lemon juice. Yellow and black mustard seeds soak in hot water, while poppy seeds soak separately in water.

The mustard seeds are ground with some salt, then poppy seeds, green chillies, chopped coconut and some curd join the paste. Mustard oil, the remaining curd, salt and turmeric are mixed in to make a smooth coating that stays thick rather than runny.

Banana leaves are cut into squares, coated with mustard oil and briefly roasted to make them easier to handle. Spice mixture, prawns, more mixture, a slit green chilli and an oil drizzle are layered in each leaf before it is folded and tied with thread.

The parcels cook in an oiled flat pan under a cover, are flipped and cook under the lid again. The heat is turned off and the pan rests before opening; the threads are cut and the paturi is served with steamed hot rice.