Prawns and golda chingri
Chingri malai curry in coconut milk, a Dhaka-style prawn bhuna or a prawn biryani for guests all start with the right prawns. Golda chingri are giant freshwater prawns, a celebration dish… 14 Products
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Prawns and golda chingri
Chingri malai curry in coconut milk, a Dhaka-style prawn bhuna or a prawn biryani for guests all start with the right prawns. Golda chingri are giant freshwater prawns, a celebration dish across Bengal, and we keep them frozen in 1 kg packs in several sizes: whole, head-on prawns (for example 8/12, 13/15 and 30/40), easy-peel prawns with the shell already slit (26/30 and 31/40), and peeled, cleaned prawns.
For quick meals there are cooked cocktail shrimp (100/200) and small gura chingri, which are perfect for bhorta, pakoras or a vegetable and prawn stir-fry. Breaded butterfly prawns make an easy oven snack. If you love the bold flavours of Bangladeshi cooking, try chingri shutki, sun-dried prawns used in bhuna and chutneys.
For seasoning, pick from our curry masala mixes. You'll find more Bangladeshi favourites in Bengali groceries and every species we stock under frozen fish.
Prawn sizes and prep explained
The numbers on the pack tell you roughly how many prawns make up a fixed unit of weight, so the smaller the number, the bigger the prawn. 8/12 are true giants for the grill, 31/40 are ideal for curry, and 100/200 suit salads and pakoras.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, or seal them in a bag and submerge in cold water for 20–30 minutes.
- Run a small knife along the back to lift out the dark vein.
- Cook briefly: large prawns need only 4–6 minutes in a simmering sauce before they turn rubbery.
For chingri malai curry, reduce onions, ginger-garlic paste and coconut milk, then slip the prawns in at the end. A pinch of garam masala finishes it nicely.
Frequently asked questions
What is golda chingri?
Golda chingri is the Bengali name for the giant freshwater prawn, a large species with long blue claws. Its sweet, juicy meat is the star of chingri malai curry, bhuna and many festive dishes in Bangladesh and West Bengal.
What does easy-peel mean?
Easy-peel prawns have the shell cut open along the back, and usually the vein removed too. You can slip the shell off in seconds, before or after cooking, without lengthy cleaning and deveining.
Are the small shrimp already cooked?
The 100/200 cocktail shrimp are pre-cooked, so after thawing they only need warming through or can go cold into a salad. Gura chingri and all golda chingri are raw and need cooking until opaque.
What do I use dried prawns (chingri shutki) for?
Dried prawns have a deep, salty flavour. In Bangladesh they are briefly soaked, then fried with onion, garlic and chilli for shutki bhuna, or pounded into a fiery bhorta that is eaten with plain rice.