Echor Chingri ( Raw jackfruit cooked together with prawns in a luscious gravy )

Echor chingri is a classic traditional Bengali recipe , which is vastly popular in east Bengal and is a very beloved summer recipe among bongs . I love everything about a Jackfruit , be it in its sweet form or its seeds or in this raw version . Hence , I leave no stone unturned in devouring this to my heart's content before it moves out of season . This dish is a Bengal delicacy and very popular for its supreme taste and unique texture. In Bengali , ‘Echor’ means ‘Raw Jackfruit’ and this dish ' Echor chingri ' is an amalgamation of raw jackfruit along with prawns , which is simmered languorously over slow heat to make a decadent semi luscious gravy . Relish this with plain rice and trust me , you will need no other side dish.

To cut a Jackfruit , you must first apply mustard oil on the blade of the knife, chopping board and on both the palms of your hands before cutting into it . Since Jackfruit contains latex - greasing hand and knife will help get rid of it and make the cutting process easier.

Things you will need

• 500 gms raw jackfruit , chopped into chunks

• 300 gms of large prawns - cleaned and deveined

• 2 large potatoes , cut into 8 pieces each

• 1 tomato, finely grated

• 2 onions , thinly sliced

• 02 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

• 2-3 green chillies , slit

• ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

• 1 Bay leaf + 3 Cardamoms + 4 Cloves+ 2-inch Cinnamon stick

• 2 dry red chillies

• 2 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder

• 1 tsp ghee

• 1 tsp sugar (Optional)

• Salt to taste

• Mustard oil for cooking

• 01 cup water for the gravy

Steps to follow

• Pressure cook the jackfruit pieces by 01 whistle - drain away the water and keep aside ( Do not overcook the jackfruit or else the echor chingri will taste bland and mushy )

• Marinate the potato pieces and the prawns with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 10 minutes . Heat mustard oil in a pan and add in the marinated potato chunks and fry till golden brown. Keep aside.

• In the same pan, add the marinated prawns and sauté them on low flame for 2 minutes and keep aside.

• Next , add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and dry red chillies into the pan and let them crackle. Add in the sliced onion along with the ginger garlic paste and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another 2 minutes until the raw smell disappears .

• At this point , add in all the masala's , salt to taste , some sugar and give everything a good mix. Next add the raw jackfruit pieces into the pan and evenly coat it with the masala. Then , add the grated tomato, potato chunks , prawns , green chillies and mix.

• Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 10-15 minutes. This step helps to jackfruit and prawns to absorb the flavor of the masala.

• Check the seasoning and if the prawns are done .

• Top the echor chingri with garam masala and ghee ( Add some water if you want extra gravy )

• Serve with steamed rice.