Prawns steamed inside a green coconut — daab chingri — is the most theatrical dish in the Bengali repertoire. The whole tender coconut is the cooking vessel: prawns marinated in mustard paste and coconut cream are sealed inside with the coconut lid, steamed for an hour, and brought to the table whole.
The diner cracks it open. It is made for weddings and Eid, and it cannot be rushed.
Zone: River Delta
SOURCE: Bengali food magazine, Anandabazar, Kolkata, 2016. Translated from Bengali.
LOCAL NAME: ডাব চিংড়ি
INGREDIENTS
- 4 young green coconuts (with the top cut off and liquid reserved)
- 500 grams large raw prawns (peeled and deveined)
- 3 tablespoons tbsp yellow mustard seeds (soaked 2 hours and ground to paste)
- 1 tablespoons tbsp black mustard seeds (soaked 2 hours and ground with yellow)
- 200 milliliters coconut cream
- 3 green chillies (slit)
- 0.5 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoons mustard oil
METHOD
- Marinate the prawns: Mix the prawns with the mustard paste, coconut cream, green chillies, turmeric, salt, and mustard oil. Stir well until every prawn is coated. Taste the marinade — it should be sharp, creamy, and aggressively mustardy.
- Fill the coconuts: Carefully spoon the marinated prawns and all the marinade into each green coconut. Add 2–3 tbsp of the reserved coconut water to each. Replace the coconut lid and seal with toothpicks or secure tightly with foil.
- Steam: Place the coconuts upright in a large steamer or in a deep pan with 5cm of water. Cover tightly and steam on medium heat for 50–60 minutes. The prawns will cook inside the sealed coconut in a mixture of their own steam, the mustard marinade, and the coconut water.
- Serve at the table: Bring the whole coconuts to the table. Open them at the table — the steam and the smell when the lid comes off is the moment. Serve directly from the coconut over steamed white rice, spooning out the prawns and all the sauce.
NOTES
UK: Green (tender) coconuts from Caribbean or South Asian grocers; occasionally from Waitrose and specialist supermarkets. Pre-prepared coconut cream as substitute for the interior liquid if coconuts unavailable — though the vessel is half the point. King prawns from any fishmonger.
US: Young green coconuts from H-Mart, Asian grocery stores, or Whole Foods (sometimes in the chilled section). Canned coconut cream as liquid substitute. Jumbo shrimp from any fishmonger. This is a weekend project; budget 2.5 hours.