Old Love & New Ones [also a recipe for Kosha Mangsho/ Bengali Chicken Curry]

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Dog eared copy of Agatha Christie's ''They Came To Baghdad'' with all sorts of odd paper scraps tucked between the pages...my grandfather's; the man from whom I inherited an unquenchable thirst for reading!

Old handbag, faded & shabby, dismally frayed at the edges, the one I never use, yet shy from throwing away...the worn-out smooth leather brings me peace...

Bunch of orange roses given with a shy smile and received with a glad heart....a magical moment trapped forever...yet it repeats itself with continuing reassurance :-)

Sharing food and laughter with one's own...eating with hands...licking the fingers dry...giggling over nothing and everything...stuffing oneself silly....lazing in the aftermath....

Cake slowly rising to life in the oven...the house smelling of oranges, vanilla, cinnamon...a cup of tea waiting impatiently to give it company...

Nourishing song...celebrates love, friendship, building bridges, holding hands...carries bits of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, sung by people who create unique music-scapes...reverberates long after...

Simple home cooked meal on a lazy afternoon...a pass-me-down recipe...the known taste filling you with reassurance, comfort & contentment...the aromas bringing a host of memories flocking back...

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Love sagas, old and new continues in my other blog!

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Chicken Curry/Kosha Mangsho

A Bangla word, kosha means well fried, mangsho means meat. This is a recipe in which the masalas, the chicken pieces and the rest of the ingredients are well fried over low to medium heat for about 20 to 30 mins. A matter of patience, probably best tried over the weekend. This dish is generally prepared in Bengali homes when we expect guests.

List of Ingredients:

600 to 800 gm chicken (I used skinless thigh pieces, most of the excess fat trimmed)

3 to 4 medium potatoes chopped into two

4 medium onions, finely chopped

2 dried red chilly, each snapped into two

1 table spoon of ginger paste

1 heaped table spoon of garlic paste

2 table spoons of tomato purée

1 tea spoon of turmeric powder

1 tea spoon of cumin & coriander powder each

1 tea spoon of meat masala powder

1/2 tea spoon of red chilly powder (non spicy variety, for colour)

3/4th tea spoon of sugar

Whole garam masalas-- 2 to 3 cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, whole black peppers...one inch bark of cinnamon...slightly crushed...

2 table spoons of vegetable/sunflower oil

1 tea spoon of mustard oil (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

Make the oil screaming hot, reduce the heat and add the garam masalas and the red chillies. [Chances of the garam masalas burning are high, so I take the pan completely off the heat and then add the garam masalas.] Immediately add the chopped onions and the sugar.  The sugar is added at this stage because it caramelises and gives the onion a lovely reddish brown colour. Put the pan back on heat.

After 5 mins or so add the masalas, fry till the oil starts to separate on the side. At this stage add the ginger and garlic paste and the tomato purée. Again fry till the oil starts to separate from the masalas. Takes roughly 5 mins or so.

Add the chicken pieces and the potatoes. Now begins the test of your patience. Keep frying this on low/low medium heat for about 20 to 30 mins. You can slowly see the chicken pieces and the potatoes changing colour. The remaining fat on the chicken pieces will melt and add to the gravy. If you are lucky enough to use farm fresh country chicken without a trace of fat, then you may need to add a few drops of water, so that the masalas do not dry up. After about half an hour or so when the chicken pieces and the potatoes look nicely brown, add salt to taste. The reason salt is added at the very end is because salt releases water from the chicken and we do not want that before this. 

Then add just about enough water to submerge all the pieces and let it cook, covered for another 20 mins or so. Keep checking and stirring  occasionally. Most of the water should evaporate and the gravy should be almost dry-ish and thick. Turn off the heat and keep the pan covered and let it rest for 10 mins or so.

Serving:

In the Indian subcontinent we do not rest food much after it is cooked. But we have noticed that if rested, especially meat preparations taste better. Leftover curries are way tastier than freshly made ones. Our hunch is that over the resting period the masalas get time to incorporate into the meat! So if expecting guests you can prepare this a day ahead. 

You can serve this with plain rice or rotis/parathas (Indian breads). Tastes best with the sweet Bengali polao (fried rice). The heat of the dish nicely balances with the sweetness of the rice.

I had some leftover rice, so used that to make a  simple fried rice, throwing in whatever veggie was there in my fridge. Used only some cumin seeds to fry the veggies with, garnished with some fried cashew nuts and  raisins and my latest find ready-made fried onions!

A simple Indian salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions with a sprinkling of lime juice, diced green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and rock salt goes nicely with this.

P.S. Ladies did you enjoy seven random things about me? :-)

P.P.S. We are going on a short holiday this weekend. Will catch up once I am back. Hopefully will be able to bring you stories from our trip :-)