Shayek Ahmed shares his recipe for Tiger Prawn Curry

My name is Shayek Ahmed and I worked as a trainee chef for eight years under head chef Nurul Amin at the Aziz Restaurant. I am presently the head chef at Aziz and my cooking style is Bangladeshi/Indian.

My signature dish is Kodu Gosht (Lamb with Pumpkin).

My favourite place to eat in Oxfordshire is Bodrum on Cowley Road as it’s convenient and has halal food. As I don’t drink alcohol, I enjoy a cup of tea or coffee at D&G, also on Cowley Road.

The strangest food I have ever eaten was Mutton Brain Masala.

My favourite type of cuisine is Bangladeshi and I am inspired by renowned Bangladeshi cook and food writer the late Siddika Kabir.

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CHINGRI MALAI (TIGER PRAWN CURRY)

* 400g Tiger Prawns, peeled
* 1 teaspoon turmeric
* 2 green chillies cut lengthways
* ½ tea spoon of red chilli powder
* 2cm piece of fresh ginger finely chopped
*4 cloves garlic chopped
* 1 large onion chopped
* 2cm cinnamon stick broken into 4-6 pieces
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 100ml thick coconut milk
* Vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 4 green cardamom
* 1 tablespoon clarified butter
* Salt (to taste)

Blend half of the ginger and garlic together in a food processor to make a fine paste. Then blend the onions to a fine paste with 100ml of vegetable oil.

Put the prawns in a bowl and mix it with ½ tablespoon of turmeric and salt (to taste).

Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the prawns, cook until slightly brown.

Take out the prawns into a bowl and heat two more tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds before adding the onion and stir until brown.

Then add the cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and stir for two to three minutes. Add fresh green chillies, salt to taste and the prawns and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the coconut milk and sugar.

Add other half of the finely chopped ginger and clarified butter, reduce the heat and cook for three to four minutes until the sauce thickens.  

Serve with plain, pilao or steamed rice.