Some of the dishes are so fascinating in their looks and presentation that we get instantly drawn to them. Daab Chingri is such a dish which evokes a story through the image of  prawns resting on the Green Coconut. Equally fascinating is its stint with Bengali food fantasy since long. Prawns are secretly cooked inside the green coconut shell that too in a complete organic process. More of a restaurant dish, Daab Chingri is thought to be a delicate item which in actual is pretty easy and can be prepared at home. I have tried for the first time and it took only 30 minutes. The prawns mingled with coconut flavour is an absolute treat to the tongue. The best part is that the prawns become so tender and soft that it just melts in your mouth.

Find another recipe of prawns in mustard gravy here.

Preparation Time : 30 mins.

Cooking Time : 30 mins.

Difficulty Level : Easy

Ingredients to serve 2 :

1. King prawns – 6 – 8
2. Green coconut – 1 (medium size with least coconut pulp)
3. Green coconut water – ½ small cup
4. Black mustard seeds – 1½ tbspoon
5. Poppy seeds – ¾ tbspoon
6. Green chilli – 4
7. Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
8. Salt to taste
9. Mustard oil – 3 tbspoon

Procedure :

At first, remove the shell and head of the prawns, devein them and wash thoroughly. Keep the tail of the prawns intact. Then coat the prawns with salt and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder. Keep the prawns aside.

After that make a smooth paste with black mustard seeds, poppy seeds and 2 green chillies. Use water as required to make the paste and also sprinkle some salt while making the paste.

Then wash the green coconut after bringing it from market. Using a sharp knife cut a large square to open the coconut ( As an alternative, you can also take the help of coconut seller to follow this step). Reserve the square for closing the coconut again. Now pour the coconut water in a glass and reserve it for later use. Also scrap out the coconut pulp , if there any, with a spoon. As I have got very thin coconut pulp which I used in my recipe.

Then make a mixture with the poppy seed paste, coconut pulp, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, 2 tbspoon of mustard oil and salt. Keep in mind that earlier salt has been used twice, so use accordingly.

Now coat the parwns well with the prepared spice mixture. Also add ½ cup of coconut water to the prawns and stir well.

Now feed the belly of the green coconut with the prawns and the spice mixture. Sprinkle 1 tbspoon of mustard oil over the mixture and add 2 green chillies. Now close the opening of the coconut using the reserved square.

Take a pressure cooker and fill it with water so that 1/3rd portion of the coconut can immerse into it. I needed a 5 lt. pressure cooker as per the size of the coconut. Put the lid on and remove the safety valve of the pressure cooker.

Now place the pressure cooker on medium flame and cook for 10 minutes. Then put the flame on low and cook for another 20 minutes.

Do not open the pressure cooker immediately. Let it come to room temp. and then put the lid off. Carefully take out the green coconut from the cooker and place on a dish. Remove the square cut, with the help of a spoon, to open the coconut.

Serve the delicious “daab chingri” with steamed rice.

Do try the recipe and revert back if you liked it. Also tag me in instagram with the photographs of Daab Chingri (Prawn inside Green Coconut) prepared by you.

Note :

• Make sure that green coconut is sitting properly on a plane surface while buying it.
• Always choose green coconut with least (or without) pulp and maximum water. If your coconut has a thick pulp then scrap it out and don’t use it in this recipe.
• 1 medium sized green coconut can be filled with maximum 6-8 king prawns. For more prawns you have to use more green coconuts.
• If the green coconut doesn’t fit into your pressure cooker then use any large pan with a lid in which you can steam the coconut.