Chicken Curry (Kosha Mangsho)

Bengali Style Chicken Curry

A Sunday without 'kosha mangsho', (chicken curry) is a day half-lived for every Bengali family. Being a holiday, every member is usually at home and what better than chicken to celebrate the weekend family reunion. 'Murgir mangsho' or chicken being a favourite among both kids and adults always wins the majority votes for a Sunday menu. For a complete gastronomical experience, everyone expects to see the table full at the time of lunch. The lavish spread usually consists of a 'teto bhaja' (bitter gourd fry), a torkari (a seasonal vegetable dish), dal (lentil), chicken curry, and for a sweet ending mishti doi (sweetened curd) or chutney.

In every part of India, though chicken curry is a commonly made dish, its treatment and taste differ substantially for the use of varying spice mixes. Down in the South they use the aromatic curry leaves along with a souring agent, while in the North, it usually includes a roasted spice powder for additional flavour.

In this blog, I will teach you the Bengali style chicken curry which holds a special position in my heart and makes me nostalgic every time I cook it. It reminds me of the days when all of us (dad, sister and me) would wait for Sundays to have my mother's quintessential chicken curry dish. And every time the taste was consistent. After the lunch, we would retire to bed to talk about endless things just like most Indian families.

I am sharing my mother's recipe which is probably the easiest and tastiest chicken curry you will ever come across. 

Ingredients 

One Kg Chicken (cleaned and washed)

Lime juice (1 big tablespoon)

Garlic paste ( 2 tablespoons)

Ginger paste ( 2 tablespoons)

Three medium onions ( 1 sliced, 2 grind into paste)

Green chillies paste ( according to taste)

Garam masala powder ( 1 teaspoon)

One tomato (roughly chopped)

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder ( 1 teaspsoon)

Tumeric powder ( 1 tablespoon)

Cumin powder (1 teaspoon)

Coriander powder (3 heaped teaspoons)

Medium sized potatoes (peeled and cut into halves)

One bay leaf

Cumin seeds ( 1 teaspoon)

Whole garam masala (2 cardamoms, 3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon)

Mustard oil ( half cup)

2-3 cups luke warm water

Procedure 

1. After thoroughly washing and draining the chicken pieces, marinate it with sliced onions, onion paste, lime juice, ginger garlic paste, chilli paste, coriander and cumin powder, tumeric powder, chopped tomato, red chilli powder and 1/3rd of the mustard oil. Also include the potatoes in the marination. Let the marinated chicken sit for 20 minutes.

Ready for marination

2. Heat a kadai with remaining mustard oil. Temper with bay leaf, whole garam masala and cumin seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering, put in the marinated chicken (along with the potatoes) and add salt as per taste. Keep the salt on a lesser side for later adjustment. Cover with lid and cook. 

3. Open the lid after 5 minutes and give the chicken a nice stir. The spices along with the chicken will release a lot of water so you can keep it covered or cook with the lid open. When the water reduces and the gravy turns thick you will see oil floating on the sides of the kadai. When such a stage is reached, pierce the chicken with a fork to check for tenderness. 

4. Keep 2 to 3 cups of luke warm water ready.  

5. The gravy must reach a dark brown or reddish brown colour like shown in the video below. 

6. Add the luke warm water to the chicken depending on how much gravy you need. Wait till the gravy starts boiling vigorously and the oil floats on top. 

7. Check for seasoning. Adjust if needed. 

8. Finish it off with garam masala powder. 

Tip: If you have elders at home who prefer extremely soft chicken, pressure cook the end product up to one whistle with the luke warm water and skip the instruction of point number 6.  

Serve it along steamed rice or chapatis with some freshly cut cucumber and onion salad. 

  

Sunday and kosha mangsho are a match made in heaven! Do try it to bring smiles and enjoy conversations over a gratifying meal. 

Have a great day!