Stir-fried shrimps with red chard

Serves 6 as a starter Starters and mains

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Method

For the Bengali shrimp paste, heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan on a medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cardamom pod and cumin seeds and fry for 1 minute. Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste, 1tsp salt and sugar and continue cooking. When the onion is translucent add the fresh and dried shrimps and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, chilli powder, ground cumin and turmeric and cook until the tomatoes become soft and oil starts to float on the side.
Add the coconut milk and the green chilli and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Bengali garam masala and the lemon juice. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender or food processor and blend. Leave to cool, cover, then store in a refrigerator until ready for use.
To finish the dish, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan or wok until very hot. Add the shrimps and stir-fry for about a minute. When they turn pink, stir in the shrimp paste, then season to taste. Finally, throw in the red chard leaves and continue stirring just until they wilt. Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve the shrimps immediately in bowls as a starter, or spear them with cocktail sticks and pass around as a snack with drinks.

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Ginger and garlic paste - Makes 8tbsp

*100g ginger, peeled
*75g garlic, peeled

Chop up the ginger and garlic,then use a mortar and pestle to blend it to a fine, thick paste, with 175ml water

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Bengali garam masala

*1tsp cumin seeds
*1tbsp coriander seeds
*1 cinnamon stick
*seeds from 4 green cardamom pods

Heat a small heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat and dry-roast the cumin, coriander and cinnamon for a couple of minutes, then add the green cardamom and stir for 30 seconds or so until the aromas of the spices begin to be released. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then grind everything to a fine powder using either a spice mill or a pestle and mortar. It’s best to grind just what you need each time, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container away from direct light for up to 2 weeks.