Chicken Curry

Sometime the heart craves for simple comfort foods. This recipe belongs to that league. And if you are a Bengali by birth or by heart, you shall often find yourself adding potatoes to this dish, polishing the curry off with piping hot steamed rice and following it up with a siesta. If you want to use potatoes, boil and peel them and cut into huge chunks. Smear them with salt, turmeric and a little chilli powder – fry them and keep aside to be added when the chicken is nearly tender – this would prevent the potato from getting overcooked, yet allow it to soak in the flavours of the curry.

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken (cut into medium-sized pieces)
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 2 medium sized onions (finely sliced)
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 4-6 green chillies (chopped)
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 dry chilli
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• Cooking oil

Preparation:

• Marinate chicken in yoghurt for 2 hours
• Heat oil in a pan
• Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamoms
• Sauté till spices splutter
• Add onions and garlic paste
• Fry till golden brown
• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder
• Add ginger paste and stir continuously for a minute
• Add the marinade
• Stir continuously and cook for 10-15 minutes over low heat
• Add water
• Add green chillies and salt
• Lower the heat, cover and cook till chicken is done
• Sprinkle garam masala powder and mix well
• Remove from heat and serve hot with rice or roti