Chicken Curry, Bangladeshi Style
The first food my mother fed me
As we dive into the mangsho (meat) part of our Bangladeshi Basics series this week, Mishty is coming out from behind the camera to write.
We are starting with one of the easiest meats that you can find at any grocery store: moorgi, or chicken. The mangsho course in a Bangladeshi meal can include chicken, duck, as well as lamb, mutton, goat or beef. There are so many ways to prepare mangsho, and today we’re starting with a simple introductory chicken curry.
As far as I know, there isn’t a Bangladeshi name for this dish. We would just say we’re having moorgi or chicken, and we’d know that it was this basic curry style. This was probably one of the first foods that I ate as a child, my mother feeding me lokmas (bites or mouthfuls) of chicken diye bhaat or chicken with rice in little round balls from her hands.
My mother’s Bangladeshi curry chicken also happens to be the first recipe I ever learned to make. My first year of university was the first time I lived away from home and on my own. With this newfound freedom and independence, I lived it up. I indulged in eating out with my friends quite frequently. We didn’t eat out at restaurants much growing up, because we had such good food at home, but this changed when I became a young student. I enjoyed eating out, exploring new cuisines and expanding my palate. This was the first time I tried things like sushi, or Ethiopian food, and I loved all of it.
But the downside to this was that my cholesterol shot up, and I was only 19 years old! This was a wake up call. When I came home over a break, Mom sat me down and told me that this won’t do.
“You have to take care of yourself, Mishty, and you have to learn how to cook good, healthy food for yourself!”
And that’s when my cooking journey began with my mom.
The next day, Mom showed me how to make her chicken curry while I diligently took notes. I remember we used chicken quarter pieces and she showed me how to properly clean, de-skin, trim off the fat and cut a chicken quarter into leg, thigh and back pieces. She also showed me how thinly to cut the onions and how much of each spice to use. When I returned to university after the break, I was able to make bhaat (rice), chicken curry, dal and bhaji on a weekly basis. The eating out cut down significantly (but not entirely), and after a few months, my cholesterol went down to normal levels again.
This type of chicken curry is a staple in Bangladeshi households, and there are many variations to this. You can make it with a thick gravy (bhuna) or thin gravy (jhol), and potatoes are a popular addition to this dish, which soaks up all the great flavours and adds some heft to the dish.
We tend to use bone-in and skinless chicken in Bangladeshi cooking. The bones add flavour and nutrients, and the fat and texture of chicken skin in a slow cooking curry aren’t desirable in the end product. We don’t recommend using boneless chicken in this recipe.
The method for this chicken is what my mom calls “the dump method.” You soften some onions, gather all the ingredients, (mix/marinate optional) dump them in the pot, stir and cover and let cook until done. Really simple. Try it and let us know what you think!
Whatever you’re eating this week, moja kore khao (eat with delight, or enjoy your food!)
Mishty
Chicken Curry Bangladeshi Style
Ingredients:
2 medium onions finely chopped (about 1¼ cup)
½ cup cooking oil
2 lbs Chicken pieces, bone-in and skin removed (see notes)
5 tsp fresh ginger paste
3 tsp fresh garlic paste
1 tsp ground (dry) coriander
½ tsp ground (dry) cumin
1 tsp ground (dry) turmeric
½ tsp hot red chili powder, Kashmiri chili, or paprika (see notes)
3-4 cinnamon sticks (1 inch each), depending on strength of cinnamon
3 to 4 cardamom pods, crushed slightly (depends on size)
4 cloves
1 big bay leaf or 2 small bay leaf
1 ½ cups of hot water
Salt to taste
Method of cooking:
In a bowl, add chicken, ginger and garlic pastes and spices. You can mix everything together really well, or just assemble the ingredients and keep aside.
In a large cooking pot, heat ½ cup cooking oil, add 1¼ cup chopped onion and cook on medium heat until soft (just before getting brown), around 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the chicken and spices to the pot, incorporating everything together well, and cover.
Cook for 15 minutes on medium or medium low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Chicken will release some of its own juices.
Add 1 ½ cups hot water and salt to your preference (we usually start with a teaspoon more or less) and turn the heat up to medium high. Bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to medium or medium low again and cook for another 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Taste the salt. Add more if needed.
Continue to cook with the lid on for another 15 minutes on medium or medium low, stirring occasionally.
Turn the heat off and leave the chicken curry to rest for 5 minutes, with the lid on.
Take the lid off after 5 minutes to remove the steam.
Serve with steaming white rice.
Notes
We tend to use bone-in and skinless chicken in Bangladeshi cooking. The bones add flavour and nutrients, and the fat and texture of chicken skin in a slow cooking curry aren’t desirable in the end product. We don’t recommend using boneless chicken in this recipe.
The spiciness/heat of this dish can be dialed up or down. Add more red chili powder if you like your food spicier. If you like little to no spice, use paprika or Kashmiri chili. Kashmiri chili brings out a beautiful reddish hue in the final dish but doesn’t have the heat or potency in a traditional red chili powder. If you like it spicy and red, add both the red chili powder and Kashmiri chili powder.