The other day when I landed at CR park fish market, I saw my friend selling tiny fresh water shrimps. These shrimps are 2 to 3 cm long and white transparent. These are rare commodities and associated with top of the line Bong dishes like Lau chingDi, Pui ( malabar spinach) chingDi, thinly sliced potato and chingDi bati cha-chadi with mustard paste and oil etc.
There is another type, bata, ( paste) like coconut chingDi paste, chngDi Poppy seed paste , chingDi, coriander leave and garlic paste and so on.
Most tiny shrimp dishes in Bong cooking , has to be cooked with head, scale on. Just wash and use. Big prawns, scaled, be-headed are not useful for this type of dishes, as they wont impart the prawn flavor.
THE RECIPE
This recipe I learnt from my MIL and refreshed my memory on phone yesterday. Cooked it to surprise SOMEONE , who is a master in all bata ( paste) dishes. This is simple paste of fried shrimp, fried red chili, coconut, green chili and onion. As a variation I have added roasted poppy seeds, which is absolutely optional and MIL doesn't use it.
INGREDIENTS
Tiny shrimps 1 cup, washed and drained. marinated with pinch of salt and turmeric powder.
grated coconut 1 cup
red chili 2, cut to small pieces 1 cm
Onion 1/2 cup, chopped to small pieces, suitable for grinding.
green chili 4 ( more the merrier)
Poppy seeds 1 tbsp ( optional)
salt
oil to sauté shrimp 1 tsp
PROCESS
Roast the poppy seed and keep aside.
Take oil , heat and add red dry chilis and fry, followed by the shrimps.
Sauté for 3-5 minutes and remove on to absorbent paper.
In a dry grinder , grind the poppy seeds to this add the fried shrimps grind to a dry paste and remove. ( No water is needed)
Grind the grated coconut , need not be very smooth, add green chili, onion and salt then further grind. Remove and keep aside.
Mix the shrimp paste and coconut and give a final grinding. Normally water is not needed. It comes from the onion and coconut.
Eat with hot rice.
Variation:
Tiny dried shrimps , soaked in water and then fried and ground gives a great taste too.
I have a good mind to give a southern touch by adding Curry leaves and Udad dal in the seasoning before adding the shrimps.
In a dry grinder , grind the poppy seeds to this add the fried shrimps grind to a dry paste and remove. ( No water is needed)
Grind the grated coconut , need not be very smooth, add green chili, onion and salt then further grind. Remove and keep aside.
Mix the shrimp paste and coconut and give a final grinding. Normally water is not needed. It comes from the onion and coconut.
Eat with hot rice.
Variation:
Tiny dried shrimps , soaked in water and then fried and ground gives a great taste too.
I have a good mind to give a southern touch by adding Curry leaves and Udad dal in the seasoning before adding the shrimps.
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