Mulo Chingri ghonto is best prepared with tender white or pink radish, but you can make it even with any variety of radish. Depending on the kind of radish you use, the cooking time will differ. You can even make this dish vegetarian by skipping the shrimp and using potatoes instead. It’s a simple, quick weeknight dinner that doesn’t need a lot of prep or cooking time.
Ingredients you need for Mulo Chingri Ghonto
Radish - Tender pink radish are commonly used in Kolkata as those are peak in winter season. But you can use the white variety too. Shrimp - I used large size shrimp and chopped in half. You can use the small ones too. I prefer to remove the shells and tails. You can also make mulo chringri ghonto using dry small shrimps. Spices - There are very few basic spices used in this dish. Cumin seeds, bay leaves and nigella seeds are used in hot mustard oil to start the flavor infusion. And a simple spice paste of cumin, coriander, chili powder is made to add to the radish. Fresh green chili is optional, but I like the subtle heat it adds. If you want it more spicy, then chop the green chili and add it to the radish along with the spice paste. Oil - We like to prepare this dish using mustard oil, but you can use regular vegetable oil too.
Steps to prepare
The steps are very simple, and I prepare the dish with very minimal ingredients. But you can add your variations and make it more spicy or rich. 1 - Peel the radish, then either grate it using the bog holes of the grating box or slice it into matchstick size. I prefer slicing as it adds more texture to the dish. Sprinkle salt and keep aside for 30 minutes. 2 - Clean the shrimp and then, based on how big these are, you could leave it full or slice in half. 3 - Marinate the shrimp with salt, turmeric powder and little chili powder. Keep aside for 15 minutes. 4 - In a heavy bottom pan, pour mustard oil and once it heats up, fry the shrimp for 3 minutes and take it off to a bowl. 5 - To the pan now add cumin seeds, nigella seeds and bay leaves. Stir for a few seconds. 6 - The radish must have released all the excess water by now, so squeeze it out of the bowl. 7 - And add it to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes. 8 - Add little water, low the heat and cover the pan. Allow the radish to soften. Depending on how you cut the radish and how tender it was, it may take more or less time. 9- In a bowl make a paste of turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder with little water. Add it to the pan and mix it around. Let the spice cook for 5 minutes. 10 - Add the fried shrimp now and fresh green chili and mix it around. 11 - Sprinkle a little sugar. Also check for salt and add more if needed. 12 - Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy it with rice or roti. If you prefer more spicy, the chop the green chili instead of adding it whole. I personally feel the dish tastes best with rice, but it goes well with roti and dal too.
Try these simple Bengali Vegetarian dishes:
Lau Chingri Shoshar Shukto Cheena Badam Bhendi Kumro Palak Chanar Dalna
