Prawns are the prized catch of the kitchen

Three fourths of the Earth is water and, water means fish and thousands of varieties from the tiny ornamental ones meant for the aquarium to the huge fish like tuna that can weigh in tonnes. Fish is an integral part of any Bengali’s life and, those who live in Bengal can have their choice of the best ones, subject to the strength of the purse while those who are denied such a privilege have to be content with whatever is available.
Therefore, prawns win hands down because of its easy availability all over the world. In India, it is called chemeen in down South in Kerala and jhinga in Mumbai. We, Bengalis, call them chingri and, the different methods of cooking can make the dish an unforgettable one.

Of course, it is a fish that has wastages in the form of the scales, but, the stuff inside the scales are something that one would get hooked on to and savor again and again.
If the size is too small, the method is to cook it in a base of lauki – the resultant lau-chingri with the typical kumro-bari, a unique Bengali food item, can bowl anyone over.
Once the size of the prawn is large enough, the fish can be cooked in a number of ways. One popular method is in a coconut base. The coconut is grated and the fish with mustard oil and a few green chilies thrown in is steam cooked in a closed container. The fish is not fried but, kept in the raw condition. When the lid is opened, the flavor of the prawns will hit you hard and, you will want to sit down to taste it.
The third equally tasty preparation of prawns is the spicy one. The shell of the fish is usually not removed fully and, once fried, it turns reddish in color and imparts an unmistakable glow to the final product. The fish is fried and then cooked in a paste of onion and garlic with the addition of regular spices. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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