Kumro chingri aka misti kumro diye chingri is a popular misti kumro recipe. It is a comforting seasonal prawn curry which is regularly prepared in Bengali houses when pumpkin is easily available in the market. In this preparation, fried prawns are cooked with pumpkin aka misti kumro chunks, potato chunks and ginger in some Bengali spices. This Bengali delicacy is relished with steamed rice and sometimes with roti.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Health Benefits of Pumpkin
How to make Kumro Chingri (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Kumro chingri?
Kumro chingri is a classic delight and the name of the recipe itself explains the dish. It is a Bengali name and the word ‘Kumro’ stands for pumpkin and ‘chingri’ means prawn. Basically, Kumro chingri recipe is a Bengali speciality in which vegetables are cut into medium pieces as in dalna and cooked as a curry with prawns.
Bengalis have an eternal relationship with fish and there is no doubt about it. The addition of fish with vegetables in curries is one of their fortes to make the boring vegetables exciting and yummier. Bengalis frequently add small fish, prawns and fish heads in different vegetable curries. Lau chingri, macher matha diye begun, kumro chingri are the finest examples of it.
Pumpkin is a very famous vegetable all over the world and many delectable dishes including soup, pie, dessert, curries etc. are prepared in western countries with this vegetable. During the autumn season, this giant squash appears in the market and is used to prepare varieties of dishes during Halloween.
But pumpkin aka mishti kumro is one of the regularly used vegetables in both Bengali vegetable recipe and non-vegetarian recipes and kumro chingri are one of them.
Whenever I talk about the misti kumro recipe, 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 steamed rice and dal. We used to devour that with immense pleasure. I have learnt this recipe from my mom.
Kumro chingri 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.
Misti kumro diye chingri 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 flavored prawn curry. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe and key ingredient pumpkin.
Health Benefits of Pumpkin
- It is a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and minerals which help boost the immune system.
- It is rich in antioxidants which helps to get rid of chronic diseases.
- It is good for our vision too.
- It is high in fibre and low in calories which makes it a great option for weight loss.
- It is good for our skin health.
- In many cases, it helps to control the blood pressure and blood sugar level of our body.
How to make kumro chingri?
To prepare kumro chingri, first clean and wash the prawns. Then marinate them with salt and turmeric powder for at least 10 minutes and keep them aside.
Pumpkin chunks are the other most important component of this recipe. So cut the pumpkin and potatoes into medium pieces wash them and keep them aside.
On the other hand, put a pan on flame and add mustard oil to it. The usage of mustard oil enhances the flavour and taste of 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 pumpkin pieces into the pan and fry them over medium to medium-high flame until brown patches occur on the pumpkin pieces. Keep them aside on a separate plate.
In the same pan, add oil if required and then add whole spices – bay leaf, dry red chillies, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Add the potato chunks and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5 minutes. Stir twice in between.
Then add ginger paste and give a nice stir. Cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
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 the fried pumpkin pieces, green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for a few minutes.
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 5-6 minutes.
At the final stage of cooking, add sugar, Bengali garam masala powder (a ground spice mixture which contains an equal portion of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves), one by one into the pan. These spices 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
- 300 grams Prawn (Chingri)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ 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 kumro chingri
- 300 Grams Pumpkin aka misti kumro, medium pieces
- 2 medium Potatoes, medium pieces
- 2-3 green Chilies
- ½ tablespoon Ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
- 1 dry red Chilli
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamoms
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon Bengali Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
- 1½ cups Water for gravy
Instructions:
- Cut the pumpkin and potatoes into medium pieces, wash them and keep them aside.
- Cut and clean the prawns and wash them nicely.
- Marinate the prawns with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and keep them aside for at least 10 minutes.
- 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 2 minutes. Turn the prawns and cook the other side on low flame for another 2 minutes. 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 pumpkin pieces to the pan. Then fry them over medium to medium-high flame until brown patches occur on the pumpkin pieces. Keep them aside on a separate plate.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, 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 potato chunks and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5 minutes. Stir twice in between.
- Add salt, ½ teaspoon ginger paste and give a nice stir. Cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and 2 tablespoons water into it and make a smooth paste of the spices.
- Add the paste to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the masala gets cooked properly.
- Add the fried pumpkin pieces (Step 6), 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 4-5 minutes until the pumpkin and potatoes get cooked. Stir in between.
- 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 5) into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes.
- At the final stage of cooking, add 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder (a ground spice mixture which contains equal portion of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves), one by one into the pan and mix it well.
- Check the salt of the dish and add if required.
- Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds on a high flame and then switch off the flame.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the kumro chingri into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the comfort food with rice and enjoy the classic Bengali delight.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
To marinate the prawn
- 300 grams Prawn (Chingri)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ 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 kumro chingri
- 300 Grams Pumpkin aka misti kumro, medium pieces
- 2 medium Potatoes, medium pieces
- 2-3 green Chilies
- ½ tablespoon Ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
- 1 dry red Chilli
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamoms
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon Bengali Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons Mustard oil for cooking
- 1½ cups Water for gravy
Instructions
-
- Cut the pumpkin and potatoes into medium pieces, wash them and keep them aside.
- Cut and clean the prawns and wash them nicely.
- Marinate the prawns with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and keep them aside for at least 10 minutes.
- 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 2 minutes. Turn the prawns and cook the other side on low flame for another 2 minutes. 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 pumpkin pieces to the pan. Then fry them over medium to medium-high flame until brown patches occur on the pumpkin pieces. Keep them aside on a separate plate.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, 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 potato chunks and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5 minutes. Stir twice in between.
- Add salt, ½ teaspoon ginger paste and give a nice stir. Cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- In the meantime, take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and 2 tablespoons water into it and make a smooth paste of the spices.
- Add the paste to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the masala gets cooked properly.
- Add the fried pumpkin pieces (Step 6), 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 4-5 minutes until the pumpkin and potatoes get cooked. Stir in between.
- 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 5) into the pan and mix it well. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes.
- At the final stage of cooking, add 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder (a ground spice mixture which contains equal portion of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves), one by one into the pan and mix it well.
- Check the salt of the dish and add if required.
- Simmer the gravy for 10-15 more seconds on a high flame and then switch off the flame.
