Chingri Berma

Fresh prawns with fermented dried fish — small, fresh river or backwater prawns cleaned and cooked with berma (fermented dried fish), shallots, green chilli, ginger, turmeric, and a splash of water until the prawns are just cooked through and the berma has dissolved into a thin, pungent, savoury sauce coating the prawns. The combination of fresh prawn's sweetness with berma's fermented salinity creates an umami intensity greater than either ingredient alone; the berma amplifies and deepens the prawn flavour while the prawn's natural moisture dilutes the berma's salt. No coconut, no cream, no heavy spice paste — the flavour is direct and concentrated. The chingri berma is made quickly, in under fifteen minutes; its simplicity is its strength. Eaten over plain rice with additional mosdeng serma on the side.