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Narkel diye Bhapa Chingri bengali recipe

Chingri Bhapa

Make this easy Bengali Style Chingri Bhapa for a quick lunch or dinner. Prawns Bhapa with coconut is basically colossal prawns steamed in a mustard, poppy & coconut based sauce. You'll love this Bhapa Chingri with fluffy white rice.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Bengali, Indian
Keyword: Chingri Bhapa, Chingri Bhapa with coconut, Narkel Chingri Bhapa recipe, Prawn Bhapa
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Mustard soaking time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Author: Meghna

Ingredients

Water for Instant Pot

  • 2 cups Water

Instructions

How to make the Mustard paste or Shorshe Bata?

  • If you do not prefer extra hot mustard than do soak the seeds together in water for 30 mins. This process tames the pungency of mustard without making it completely flat. However, if you do love pungent mustard skip the soaking part completely.
  • Drain the soaked mustard and add them into a blender jar along with 5 green chilis, ½ tsp turmeric powder and 2-3 tsp water (just enough to grind). Blend into a smooth paste. You'll still have a few mustard hulls left, but that's ok, it's the beauty of mustard. Set the mustard paste aside.

How to make the poppy seeds paste or posto?

  • Add the poppy seeds in a blender jar. Dry grind them frist and than add few tsp of water and grind them again to a coarse paste. DO NOT do a fine paste. Set aside.

How to make Chingri Bhapa?

  • Some prawn facts are shared in the NOTES below, read them. 
    Begin by washing and cleaning the prawns well. Remove the skins, de vein them and keep the tail intact. I used cleaned, de veined frozen colossal prawns with heads removed. So, I just removed the skins and washed them a few times under running tap water. However, you may keep the shells intact.
  • Bhapa Chngri needs to be steamed so you need to gather a stainless stell tiffin box with a secure lid.
  • In the tiffin box add the mustard paste, poppy paste, coconut milk, turmeric powder, salt to taste and mix every well until a smooth slurry forms.
  • Add the prawns into the slurry. Mix together to coat the prawns well.
  • Next, layer ½ of the mentioned grated coconut and pour mustard oil on top of the coated prawns. Gently mix everything.
  • Layer the remaining grated coconut and throw in the rest of the green chilis. Secure the lid of the tiffin box. It's ready for steaming.
  • Pour 2 cups water in the inner pot of the Instant Pot and place the steel trivet inside the inner pot. Gently place the tiffing box. Close the lid of the Instant Pot, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 6 mins.
  • After 6 mins when the Instant Pot begins to beep. Wait for Natural pressure release for 6 mins and than release the rest of the pressure manually by moving the valve from the SEALING to the VENTING position.
  • Open the lid carefully, allow the hot water to cool down a bit, the trivet is very hot at this stage. Once the steam has escaped from the hot water. Carefully bring out the trivet along with the tiffin box. 
  • Open the lid of the tiiffin box, drizzle some more mustard oil on top of the Chingri Bhapa and enjoy it with some white hot rice.

Bhapa Chingri in Microwave

  • Use a microwave safe bowl for the recipe instead of a stainless steel tiffin box.
  • Follow until STEP 6. Cover the microwave safe bowl with the help of a cling film. Microwave on HIGH for 5 mins. Drizzle more mustard oil. Serve hot enjoy!

Bhapa Chingri in Pressure Cooker

  • Follow until STEP 6. Than, Set a pressure cooker over medium heat. Pour about an inch or two of water & bring it to boil. Carefully lower the tiffin box inside the pressure cooker. The water should be half way the base of the tiffin box and shold never reach the lid. Throw away any excess water. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook until 2 whistles or for 15 mins if it's a whistle free pressure cooker. Turn of the heat, manually release the rest of the pressure. Serve hot enjoy!

Bhapa Chingri in Oven

  • Make the recipe in an Oven safe bowl. and cover it with an aluminum foil. Follow until STEP 6.
  • Pre Heat oven at 240 C. Bake for 20-25 mins. Remove the bowl. Allow the prawns to rest for 5 mins without opening the aluminum foil cover. Serve hot enjoy!

Prawns Bhapa on the stove top

  • Follow until STEP 6. Use a stainless stell tiffin box.
  • In a deep bottomed pot or kadai add about 1-2" water and bring it to boil.
  • Lower the tiffing box gently. The water level should reach upto half way to the base of the tiffin box. Discard any excess water. Cover the pot or the kadai and steam the Bhapa chingri for 15 mins. Turn off the heat. Allow the prawns to rest for 5 more mins in pot. Bring the tiffinx out from the pot. Serve hot enjoy!

Notes

  1. Measuring Units used, 1 cup = 240 ml & 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
  2. Instant Pot Used = 6 quart DUO
  3. Replace Instant pot with a regular pressure cooker or a deep bottomed pot to make the recipe on the stove top.
  4. Poppy Seeds alternative? Replace it with the same amount of coconut flesh paste. Grind the fresh coconut meat in a blender until a smooth paste forms. Use it.
  5. Yellow Mustard alternative? Replace yellow mustard with the same quantity of black mustard seeds. The recipe will have a slight more mustard kick but in a good way of course.
  6. Coconut milk alternative? Use whole milk yogurt instead and use ½ cup. If using Greek yogurt dilute and whisk it with 2 tbsp. water and than use it.
  7. Want to avoid both poppy seeds paste and the coconut meat paste? Use coconut cream and a good 3 tablespoons.
  8. Can Use: Frozen Tiger, Colossal or Jumbo Prawns. Heads and shells kept intact but deveined and cleaned. Heads and shells removed and deveined, cleaned.
  9. Cannot Use: Smaller Prawns, frozen semi cooked prawns (the ones that are pink or orangish in color instead of gray).
  10. DONT'S: Avoid steaming the prawns longer they will become chewy and firm. Avoid using make ahead mustard paste from the fridge or mustard powder.
  11. DO'S: De vein & take the gut out from the prawns (the long black string like thing), wash the prawns very well. If using Poppy paste coarsely grind it, not a fine paste ever. It should have texture left.
  12. Storing Tips: Store it in air tight container for 3 days in the fridge. 
  13. Serving Ideas: Hot white fluffy rice is the best combo.
  14. Re Heating Tips: Low heat on the stove top or microwave loosely covered. 
  15. NOTE: After day 1 in the fridge the taste of the mustard in the sauce begins to fade away. The taste of the sauce will mellow down and won't remain the same as fresh cooked version.