How to make tasty lau pepe chingri

Lao chingri/bottle gourd curry with prawn is a very popular and traditional dish in West Bengal, though its taste and ingredients changes home to home. Here I am preparing the prawns with bottle gourd and papaya which makes the taste slightly different. Here marinated prawns are fried and cooked with bottle gourd and papaya with ginger flavored gravy; this is How to make tasty lau pepe chingri/ prawn curry with bottle gourd and papaya

Ingredients

Lau/Bottle gourd- 1medium sized ( cut it into small size)

Papaya -1(small)( cut into small cube size)

Prawn- 150g (Small sized prawns)

Garlic cloves-8 to 10

Ginger-smashed( 1 inch)

Green chillies- 2 (slit before adding)

Turmeric powder

Dry red chilli- 1 (broken into pieces)

Panch phoron-1/2 t spoon    (It comprises mouri (fennel seeds), methi (fenugreek seeds), kaalo jeere (black cumin  seeds), zeera(cumin seeds), and a typically Bengali spice, called radhuni)

Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Sugar- 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

How to make tasty lau Pepe chingri

First clean and wash the prawns.

Rub the prawns with turmeric powder and salt and keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Take a kadai or pan, heat oil and fry the prawns and keep it aside.

In the same oil put panch phoron red chili and garlic for tempering.

As they splutter and sizzle add vegetables (papaya and bottle gourd) and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add ginger smashed, followed by turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt and sugar; mix it and cover the lid and allow it to boil by its own water for 10 minutes, no need to mix water.

Open the lid and check the veggies are boiled or not if not then add little water and cover it for another 3-4 minutes.

Now open the lid and add the fried prawns and mix it well and cook for 2 minutes in medium flame and cover it for two minutes to mix up the smell of prawns in whole gravy.

Open the lid and switch off the flame.

Take it out from the oven and serve hot with steamed rice and dal.