Chingri macher dalna aka Chingri macher jhol is a scrumptious, spicy, and flavoured Bengali prawn curry that is crazily popular among Bengalis. In this preparation, prawns are marinated, fried, and then cooked in spicy onion-tomato gravy with some potato chunks. This versatile chingri macher recipe is an asset of Bengali cuisine which is frequently prepared in every Bengali household. It is mostly relished with steamed rice and sometimes with roti too. It could be a perfect addition to your lunch or dinner during busy working days.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Chingri macher Jhol (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Chingri macher Dalna?
Chingri macher dalna is a pure Bengali delicacy and the name of the recipe itself explains the dish. The word ‘chingri mach’ stands for Prawns and ‘Dalna’ is basically a Bengali speciality in which the curry is prepared using potato chunks and tomato. The consistency of the gravy is slightly runny. Sometimes onion-garlic is used in dalna and sometimes not.
Whenever I talk about the chingri macher jhol, it always makes me feel nostalgic. As a bong, I have grown up eating this delicacy and have never got bored with it till now. I still remember how my mother used to prepare it and serve it with hot steamed rice. We used to devour that with immense pleasure. I have learned this traditional Bengali food recipe from her.
Chingri macher jhol is a very simple and easy-to-make recipe. All the ingredients required to prepare the dish are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The difficulty level of preparing this dish is low and perfect for a novice.
Chingri macher jhol with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section. If you follow the steps carefully, you will get the perfect flavoured Bengali prawn curry. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe.
Tips to prepare perfect Chingri macher Dalna
- Marinate the prawns and potato chunks with salt and turmeric powder before frying them.
- Fry the potatoes and prawns separately because both of them have different cooking times.
- Always use mustard oil to cook chingri macher dalna. It gives a better flavour and taste to the dish.
- Don’t skip the whole spices from the recipe. It induces a nice aroma into the oil.
- Make a separate spice paste with the ground spices to make the recipe handy.
- Don’t skip the Bengali garam masala powder and ghee from the recipe. It gives the authentic Bengali flavour to the dish.
How to make Chingri macher Jhol?
To prepare chingri macher jhol, first clean and wash the prawns. Then marinate them with salt and turmeric powder for at least 10 minutes and keep them aside.
Wash and cut all the vegetables and make them ready for use.
Cut the potatoes into medium chunks. Marinate the potato chunks with salt and turmeric powder.
Add the tomato chunks into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
Then put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add mustard oil to the pan and wait until the oil is hot. Generally, most of the traditional Bengali food is cooked in mustard oil. It gives an outstanding flavour to the dish.
Once the oil is hot, add the marinated prawns to the pan and fry them on low flame for some time. Don’t over-fry the prawns or else they will become rubbery. Keep them aside on a separate plate.
Then in the same pan, add the potato chunks into the pan and then fry them till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
In the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices – bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Add the chopped onion to the pan and give a quick stir. Cook it for 8-10 minutes until soft in texture and pink in colour.
Then add ginger garlic paste and mix it well. Cook it on medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
Turn the flame low and add salt, 2-3 green chillies, and give a nice stir.
Add the fried potato chunks to the pan and mix them with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for a few minutes.
In the meantime, take a bowl and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and some water into it. Make a smooth paste of the spices and add it to the pan. Cook it on low flame for another 3-4 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the masala starts releasing oil.
Add water for the gravy and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and put the flame on high until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and add the fried prawns into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5 minutes.
At the final stage of cooking, add sugar, Bengali garam masala powder and ghee, one by one into the pan. These elements complement the flavour of the dish very well.
Check the salt of the curry and add it if required. Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds and then switch off the flame.
Many chingri recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Chingri macher malaikari
Daab chingri
Lau chingri
Echor chingri
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250 ml
To marinate the prawn
- 400 grams Prawn (Chingri)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
To marinate the potato
- 2 large Potatoes, medium pieces
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
For the spice paste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 2 tablespoons Water
Other ingredients for Chingri macher Jhol
- 2 large Onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large Tomato, for paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chilies
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamoms
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam masala
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Ghee aka clarified butter
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
- 1½ cups Water for gravy
Instructions:
- Cut and clean the prawns and wash them nicely.
- Marinate 400 grams of prawns with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and keep them aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Cut the potatoes into medium pieces and wash them. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it thoroughly. Keep them aside.
- Add the tomato chunks into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
- On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it and wait until it is hot.
- Once the oil is hot, add the marinated prawns and fry them on low flame for 1 minute. Turn the prawns and cook the other side on low flame for another minute. Transfer the fried prawns to a plate and keep it aside.
Note: Don’t over-fry the prawns or else they will become rubbery. - Add the marinated potato chunks (Step 3) into the pan and then fry them evenly over medium to medium-high flame for 8-10 minutes till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
- In the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices – 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 3 cardamoms, 3 cloves, 2 inches cinnamon stick and let them crackle.
- Add the chopped onion to the pan and give a quick stir. Cook it for 8-10 minutes until soft in texture and pink in colour.
- Add 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and mix it well. Cook it on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
- Turn the flame low and add salt, 2-3 green chillies, and give a nice stir.
- Add the fried potato chunks (Step 7) into the pan and mix them with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for few minutes.
- In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, and 2 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a paste of the spices.
- Add the spice paste to the pan. Cook it on low flame for another 3-4 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the masala starts releasing oil.
- Add 1½ cups water for the gravy and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and put the flame on high until the gravy starts boiling.
- Turn the flame low and add the fried chingri (Step 6) into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5 minutes.
- At the final stage of cooking, add 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon ghee, one by one into the pan and mix it well.
- Check the salt of the curry and add it if required. Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds and then switch off the flame.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the Chingri macher Dalna into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the comfort food with steamed rice and enjoy the classic Bengali delight.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
To marinate the prawn
- 400 grams Prawn (Chingri)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
To marinate the potato
- 2 large Potatoes, medium pieces
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
For the spice paste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 2 tablespoons Water
Other ingredients for Chingri macher Jhol
- 2 large Onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large Tomato, for paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chilies
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamoms
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam masala
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Ghee aka clarified butter
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
- 1½ cups Water for gravy
Instructions
- Cut and clean the prawns and wash them nicely.
- Marinate 400 grams of prawns with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and keep them aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Cut the potatoes into medium pieces and wash them. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it thoroughly. Keep them aside
- Add the tomato chunks into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
- On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it and wait until it is hot.
- Once the oil is hot, add the marinated prawns and fry them on low flame for 1 minute. Turn the prawns and cook the other side on low flame for another minute. Transfer the fried prawns to a plate and keep it aside. Note: Don’t over-fry the prawns or else they will become rubbery.
- Add the marinated potato chunks (Step 3) into the pan and then fry them evenly over medium to medium-high flame for 8-10 minutes till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
- In the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices - 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 3 cardamoms, 3 cloves, 2 inches cinnamon stick and let them crackle.
- Add the chopped onion to the pan and give a quick stir. Cook it for 8-10 minutes until soft in texture and pink in colour.
- Add 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and mix it well. Cook it on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
- Turn the flame low and add salt, 2-3 green chillies, and give a nice stir.
- Add the fried potato chunks (Step 7) into the pan and mix them with the masala. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for few minutes.
- In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, and 2 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a paste of the spices.
- Add the spice paste to the pan. Cook it on low flame for another 3-4 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the masala starts releasing oil.
- Add 1½ cups water for the gravy and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and put the flame on high until the gravy starts boiling.
- Turn the flame low and add the fried chingri (Step 6) into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5 minutes.
- At the final stage of cooking, add 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon ghee, one by one into the pan and mix it well.
- Check the salt of the curry and add it if required. Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds and then switch off the flame.
