Sorse Posto Chingri

It is prawn time again.
One thing I have learnt from my little culinary journey around the country is that we are most comfortable with the palette we are born with. Since childhood we are brought up on a certain style of cooking. Sure we love to try out different cuisines but then we always come back to the food from our childhood. Also i am sure genetics has a large part to play in this scheme of things. A South Indian might try out chole bhature and hakka noodles but he always finds solace in his regional food. A Bengali, likewise. Might enjoy idli and dosa a lot but will always crave for “maach bhaat”.
On our recent trip to Goa we gorged on Prawns and se fish. Totally loved the vindaloos and prawn masala fry. But finally my heart yearned for a typical Bengali preparation of prawns with mustard and poppy seeds. The thing about Bengali cuisine is that we use powdered masalas very sparingly. We let the food do the talking. The natural essence and flavour of the food is allowed to shine through instead of being swamped under lots of dhani, jeera and garam masala. In this dish too the main taste is of the fresh prawns supplemented by the mustard and poppy seeds. No other masalas.

Ingredients

250 gms prawns
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
5 tbsp yellow mustard
3 tbsp khus khus/poppy seeds
3 green chillies, slit
½ tsp kalonji
½ tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
Pinch of sugar
½ cup mustard oil

Marinate the prawns in the salt and turmeric powder for some time. Soak the mustard and poppy seeds in hot water for half an hour. Grind it to a paste along with some salt.
Heat the oil. Sauté the prawns and keep aside. In the same oil ad the kalonji and green chillies. Add the mustard paste, salt and turmeric powder. Cook on low flame till the oil separates. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the prawns and sugar, cover and cook till the oil floats on top.