When I was growing up, this dish was ever present during mealtimes, cooked lovingly by my mother and served with steaming plates of freshly cooked basmati rice. We always ate with our hands, which is customary, adding a squeeze of lebu or lemon on top before savoring a morsel. This recipe has been passed down to me by my mother, and I make it whenever nostalgia hits. Chingri—shrimp in Bengali—are traditionally cooked with lubi uri, or borboti, long beans in mustard oil. Occasionally, I swap the long beans for regular green beans as they are very similar and easier to source, and use vegetable oil instead of mustard oil. The shrimp are cooked toward the latter half of the process, which keeps them tender and lightly spiced, complementing the freshness of the beans and aroma of cilantro and green chiles. This dish is a taste of classic Bangladeshi home cooking.
What you’ll need
Large Skillet with Lid
$40 At Amazon
Potato Masher
$18 $16 At Amazon
Glass Measuring Cup
$37 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium. Cook 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, stirring, until softened and barely golden, about 1 minute. Add 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in ⅓ cup cold water, cover pan, and reduce heat to low. Cook, checking once or twice to avoid burning, until onion is very soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Uncover pan and, using a potato masher, gently smash onion until smooth (the water should have evaporated and the oil risen to the surface). Stir in 1 tsp. Kashmiri chile powder, 1 tsp. ground coriander, ¾ tsp. ground turmeric, ½ tsp. cayenne pepper, and ½ tsp. ground cumin. Cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add ⅓ cup water and bring to a gentle simmer. Immediately add 1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2" pieces. Re-cover pan, increase heat to medium-low, and cook until crisp-tender, 6–8 minutes.
Step 3
Add 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced, 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, re-cover pan, and cook until shrimp are opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and top with ¼ cup chopped cilantro.
Step 4
Serve stir-fry with steamed basmati rice and lemon wedges for squeezing over.
