Calcutta is at 10 degrees this Christmas. T-E-N. That's like being under the freezing point in the collective mind of us Calcuttans. The chill in the air however hasn't been able to dampen the spirits of folks of this city who truly believe in livin' it up. Friend S informed me of long queues at the city's old Jewish bakery Nahoum's since the past two days. Their Rum Balls and Yule Logs, amongst other goodies, are to die and kill for. Park Street is all beautifully lit up for Christmas and there was even a three hundred strong 'young at heart' flash mob last Sunday to usher in the holidays. Here's a link to it - KOLKATA FLASHMOB OFFICIAL VIDEO.
I am a terrible baker and much as I want to bake awesome stuff that I have bookmarked over the years from my favourite blogs, I have to rely on store-bought stuff for this time of the year. A few people always are kind enough to gift us home-baked cakes and they never taste as good as they do these days, even if they are the plain old vanilla/butter/chocolate pound cakes.As I write this post on the Christmas evening, we have already been through a Butter Loaf pound cake and individually portioned fruit cakes from Kathleen. A large Dundee Cake and another 'dandy' cake are still waiting to be opened. Our collective sweet teeth are overjoyed and very pleased.
What I did make on two of these chilly nights was Chicken, a stew with vegetables the first night and then the next day, a simple Bengali style Chicken Curry,with the heat quotient slightly notched up with the addition of whole peppercorns. I adapted the stew from Bong Mom's recipe here, and tweaked it according to our liking by omitting the zucchini and adding whole onions instead. All of us in the family love the taste of steamed sweet whole onions in a stew or soup. I also left out the handful of coriander leaves at the end,but it seems like a nice addition.
The Chicken curry was a generic Bengali style Murgir Jhol - which roughly translates to Chicken in Gravy - made from freshly roasted and ground spices and flavoured with aromatic herbs.
MURGIR JHOL - Bengali style Chicken Curry
How I did it -
Marinate
400 gms of Chicken + 50 gms of Chicken Liver
with
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of lemon juice
salt
and keep it aside for an hour.
Next, heat 4 tbsp of oil (I prefer mustard,you can use sesame/soy/groundnut/canola/sunflower - whatever you prefer) in a heavy bottomed pan.
Temper the oil with 2 sticks of cinnamon,3-4 green cardamoms, 2-3 cloves and 7-8 whole peppercorns..
Add 4 finely chopped medium sized red onions and fry till onions are soft and translucent.
Add 2 tsp ginger paste + 2 tsp garlic paste. Fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Next,add 1 tbsp of cumin + coriander powder. I always use freshly roasted and ground spices for an elevated taste.
Add 2-3 slit green chillies
Add 3 peeled and halved potatoes, and fry well with the masala.
After about 4-5 minutes, add the marinated chicken along with all the marinade,increase heat and fry well.
Frying the chicken,i.e the "koshano" part is very important, and this step must be continued for atleast a good 12-15 minutes,till the chicken isn't pink any more and oil starts to separate from the masala.
Add 1 medium tomato chopped and stir a bit.
Add 1 tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of red chilly powder, 1 tsp of turmeric and Salt to taste. Keep in mind the amount of salt you've added at the marination stage. Stir well to combine everything and coat the meat with the spices well.
Add about 3 cups of hot water and bring to boil.
Reduce the flame, cover and cook for 16-18 minutes till the meat is cooked. It should be falling apart from the bones at this stage.
Check seasoning, add little bit of water if needed,sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and squeeze half a lemon over the curry. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with plain rice or rotis.
Have a very merry Christmas everyone! For once, let's pay heed to Marie Antoinette's famous saying," If they cannot eat bread, let them eat cake!" Be safe and sound, may You enjoy a wonderful meal and wonderful time with your family and friends, and go to bed well-fed,feeling comforted and loved and blessed tonight! Amen!
I am a terrible baker and much as I want to bake awesome stuff that I have bookmarked over the years from my favourite blogs, I have to rely on store-bought stuff for this time of the year. A few people always are kind enough to gift us home-baked cakes and they never taste as good as they do these days, even if they are the plain old vanilla/butter/chocolate pound cakes.As I write this post on the Christmas evening, we have already been through a Butter Loaf pound cake and individually portioned fruit cakes from Kathleen. A large Dundee Cake and another 'dandy' cake are still waiting to be opened. Our collective sweet teeth are overjoyed and very pleased.
What I did make on two of these chilly nights was Chicken, a stew with vegetables the first night and then the next day, a simple Bengali style Chicken Curry,with the heat quotient slightly notched up with the addition of whole peppercorns. I adapted the stew from Bong Mom's recipe here, and tweaked it according to our liking by omitting the zucchini and adding whole onions instead. All of us in the family love the taste of steamed sweet whole onions in a stew or soup. I also left out the handful of coriander leaves at the end,but it seems like a nice addition.
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| Chicken Stew with Seasonal Vegetables |
The Chicken curry was a generic Bengali style Murgir Jhol - which roughly translates to Chicken in Gravy - made from freshly roasted and ground spices and flavoured with aromatic herbs.
MURGIR JHOL - Bengali style Chicken Curry
How I did it -
Marinate
400 gms of Chicken + 50 gms of Chicken Liver
with
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of lemon juice
salt
and keep it aside for an hour.
Next, heat 4 tbsp of oil (I prefer mustard,you can use sesame/soy/groundnut/canola/sunflower - whatever you prefer) in a heavy bottomed pan.
Temper the oil with 2 sticks of cinnamon,3-4 green cardamoms, 2-3 cloves and 7-8 whole peppercorns..
Add 4 finely chopped medium sized red onions and fry till onions are soft and translucent.
Add 2 tsp ginger paste + 2 tsp garlic paste. Fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Next,add 1 tbsp of cumin + coriander powder. I always use freshly roasted and ground spices for an elevated taste.
Add 2-3 slit green chillies
Add 3 peeled and halved potatoes, and fry well with the masala.
After about 4-5 minutes, add the marinated chicken along with all the marinade,increase heat and fry well.
Frying the chicken,i.e the "koshano" part is very important, and this step must be continued for atleast a good 12-15 minutes,till the chicken isn't pink any more and oil starts to separate from the masala.
Add 1 medium tomato chopped and stir a bit.
Add 1 tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of red chilly powder, 1 tsp of turmeric and Salt to taste. Keep in mind the amount of salt you've added at the marination stage. Stir well to combine everything and coat the meat with the spices well.
Add about 3 cups of hot water and bring to boil.
Reduce the flame, cover and cook for 16-18 minutes till the meat is cooked. It should be falling apart from the bones at this stage.
Check seasoning, add little bit of water if needed,sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and squeeze half a lemon over the curry. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with plain rice or rotis.
Have a very merry Christmas everyone! For once, let's pay heed to Marie Antoinette's famous saying," If they cannot eat bread, let them eat cake!" Be safe and sound, may You enjoy a wonderful meal and wonderful time with your family and friends, and go to bed well-fed,feeling comforted and loved and blessed tonight! Amen!
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