If you love prawns cooked in a spicy, flavour-packed gravy, this traditional-style Chungdi Jhola is a recipe worth trying! 🍤❤️
Chungdi Jhola is an Odia-style prawn curry known for its rich reddish colour and bold flavours. The combination of ripe tomatoes, plenty of garlic, warming spices and mustard oil gives this dish its distinctive taste and aroma.
What I love about this recipe is that the gravy is prepared by cooking the tomatoes and spices until soft, then blending them into a smooth, flavourful base. The prawns are fried separately before being simmered in the gravy, allowing them to soak up all those delicious flavours.
Serve this spicy prawn curry with hot parathas or steamed rice for a satisfying homemade meal. If you enjoy trying regional Indian recipes, this one deserves a place on your menu!
So, let's get cooking!
Ingredients required
For the gravy base
3–4 tomatoes, finely chopped
10–15 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves, crushed
2-inch piece of cinnamon, crushed
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
For the prawn curry
½ kg prawns, cleaned, peeled and deveined
8–10 teaspoons mustard oil
2 teaspoons garam masala powder
How to Make Chungdi Jhola
Step 1: Prepare the tomato and garlic gravy
Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to a kadai. Cook without oil over a low flame for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes become completely soft and mushy.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly, remove the bay leaves if desired, and blend everything into a smooth puree.
Step 2: Fry the prawns
Heat the mustard oil in a separate pan. Add the cleaned prawns and fry until they begin to change colour and are lightly cooked. Avoid overcooking them, as prawns can become rubbery.
Step 3: Add the garam masala
Sprinkle the garam masala over the prawns and stir-fry briefly so that the spices release their aroma.
Step 4: Combine with the gravy
Pour the prepared tomato-garlic puree into the pan with the prawns. Mix well and simmer until the prawns are fully cooked and the gravy reaches your preferred consistency.
Taste and adjust the salt or chilli powder if needed.
Step 5: Serve hot
Transfer the Chungdi Jhola to a serving bowl and serve hot with parathas or steamed rice. Enjoy this delicious, spicy prawn curry with your family!
