Chicken curry : Bengali style murgi’r jhol

Now this is a chicken curry recipe from my grandmother’s kitchen that has taken me 3 years to replicate. Very soon after moving to the US, I realized if I had to continue eating the food I grew up with, I would have to make it myself. Hence, began my quest to perfect one of my favorites – chicken curry !

Indian cooking is all about layering with flavors. This chicken curry is layered with classic Indian spices, is one of the easiest to make and comes out so well.The chicken is first marinated in the spices and then cooked to perfection. But in order to cook the chicken, the oil has to be first tempered with whole spices, then fried onions, followed by the chicken and rest of the ground spices. In Bengali, this dish is called ‘murgi’r jhol’. Murgi means chicken whereas jhol is a gravy typically of a soupy consistency. Basically, the chicken is allowed to cook in its own juices and water and the gravy becomes flavorful from that apart from the spices of course. Here is a step by step recipe to help you make one.

Yield	2-3 servings
Prep time (includes resting time)	1 h	0 min
Cook time	1 h	0 mins
Total time	2h	0 min

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Ingredients

Dry spices

• 2 tsp turmeric
• 4 tsp cumin powder
• 4 tsp coriander powder
• 4 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
• 4 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ginger powder (can be substituted with fresh ginger)

Whole spices

• 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamon
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 5-6 whole black peppercorns
• 2 dry Kashmiri red chilis

Other ingredients

• Chicken (skin removed)
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 5-6 sprigs of coriander
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Marinating the chicken

Marinate the chicken by adding half the amount of the mentioned dry spices ( for instance, if the total quantity for 4 tsp, use 2 tsp for marination) to the chicken, 2 cloves of garlic, yoghurt and salt. Add 1/4 of the raw onions. Mix very well, message the spices into the pieces very well and leave it at room temperature for at least one hour.

The chicken curry tastes best if you use bone-in chicken pieces. I used leg pieces here. it’s ironic because as kids, my sister and I would always fight for who gets the leg piece for lunch but now when I can get my hands on all the favorite pieces, I’m too far from home to enjoy the meal with family. But hey, that means more for me!

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Cooking the chicken

Heat up a pan with the mustard oil.

Add the cumin seeds, when the start from splatter, add the other whole spices and fry for a few seconds

Add the onions and fry them with a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp sugar until they are golden brown.

Add the marinated chicken and mix well with the onions. To the chicken mix, add the remainder of the dry spices (except the garam masala) and fry well with the chicken for 7-8 minutes.

Once the chicken turns slightly golden, add 2 cups of water and let it simmer on medium heat. The chicken will cook in the water and juices.

Poke the chicken from time to time to check the level of cooking.

5 minutes before turning the heat off add the garam masala and chopped coriander and mix. The water would have reduced and become more concentrated by now. Adjust the salt as per taste.

After the chicken is thoroughly cooked, let it sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the chicken to absorb the flavors of the spices well before serving. Serve with a side of rice or parathas and enjoy! I like the gravy to be slightly soupy if served with rice whereas on the dryer side if eating with Indian breads. Feel free to adjust it as per your taste.