BADHAKOPI CHINGRIR GHONTO / CABBAGE WITH PRAWNS

       

Bengal's love for fish gets them using it in various vegetables regular. The heads of the fish or small sized prawns we fry and use in lentil curries, mixed vegetables and so on. Earlier when cabbage was available only in the winter, every Bengali home made good use of it. In our home, mom prepared both vegetarian and non vegetarian version of this veggie. Cabbage is Bandhakopi in Bengali. All of us would agree, this is an easy to do veggie. I find it pretty comfortable to prepare it, just shred and do the way you wish to. Badhakopir Ghonto is a common dish among us Bengalis. We do both the vegetarian and non vegetarian version of it. The vegetarian version we do with green peas, tomato and potatoes that tastes awesome with plain rice, Khichdi and chapati or paratha. The non vegetarian versions are done with fish head or smaller prawns. Cabbage with prawns is an absolute favourite for us, we call it Bandhakopi Chingrir Ghonto. It goes with steamed rice, well one can have with chapati too. I followed the family's recipe. Always use small prawns for this, I didn't get it this week.. Let us do Badhakopi Chingrir Ghonto together and enjoy with piping hot steamed rice.We can keep lentil curry and fries or a vegetable dish on the side.

INGREDIENTS :

Cabbage : 1 standard sized

Small Prawns : 250 gm

Tomato : 1 standard sized

Green Chilli : 2-3

Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp

Salt : As required

Sugar : 1 tsp

Cinnamon Powder : 3 pinches

Green Cardamom Powder : 2 pinches

Cumin Seeds : 3 pinches

Bayleaf : 1

Dry Red Chilli : 1

Oil : 4 tbsp

METHOD :

 Clean, de-vein and wash the prawns, apply salt and turmeric.

Throw the outer leaves of the cabbage and wash well. Shred thin and discard the hard mid-section.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the prawns lightly, take out & keep aside.

Temper the oil with the bay leaf, cumin seeds and the halved dry red chilli. Add the shredded cabbage. Add salt and turmeric powder. Stir and cover. Let cook for 8-10 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the washed & sliced tomato, the slitted green chillies. Stir and cover cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove the cover to add the fried prawns. Stir and cover cook for 3-5 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the sugar, green cardamom, cinnamon powder, cloves powder. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

It is done. We have it with steamed rice.