MURGIR LAL JHOL | EASY BENGALI CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE

 The jhol in murgir jhol, refers to the runniest form of sauce in Bengali cooking. This chicken curry recipe is all about freshness of ingredients. It does away with everything but the essential. There is no tempering the oil with whole spices, no tomatoes and green chillies, none of the usual spices such as coriander and cumin, and no garnishing with coriander leaves. Which means that the few ingredients that do go in, have to be fresh if you would like to achieve the best results.

The meat should be bone in, of course, preferably from the legs and thighs and not only from the breast. Necks, stomachs, livers and heads are good too. The chilli paste is freshly ground along with a generous quantity of garlic and a little ginger. The quantity of onions is much less than what would be normally used. This is intentional. Avoid the temptation to use too much onion in this recipe. Because there is not enough onions or spices to give the gravy a body, when the water is added the emulsion breaks and the oil rises to the top giving it its signature red colour.

 

The yoghurt adds some acidity but can be skipped too. The whole spices used are ground fresh in a Sheel Nora right before being added to the korai at the very end. The effect is very different from adding whole spices in the beginning of the cooking process. Finally, we like to finish with a drizzle of a good pungent, unrefined mustard oil. This is an optional step, but one we recommend you try at least once.

Read Other Recipes –

1. JUICY OVEN BAKED CHICKEN BREAST
2. BENGALI FISH CURRY | MACCHER JHOL
3. CHICKEN SEEKH KEBAB | CHICKEN KABAB RECIPE
4. EASY AND QUICK CHICKEN KURMA | CHICKEN KORMA RECIPE
5. SPICY SLOW-COOKED MUTTON CURRY | MUTTON CURRY RECIPE
6. TANDOORI PRAWNS RECIPE | MICROWAVE OVEN PRAWNS RECIPE

So, no matter what happens and how much the taste evolves, on a gloomy day, on a lazy Sunday, after a tiring weekend, it’s the red shining Sunday Bengali chicken curry with Aloo poured over a heap of hot rice, which is parallel to only murgir Jhol perhaps. An easy fiery red chicken curry made with a handful of ingredients—perfect with rice or rooti.

 

INGREDIENTS to Make MURGIR LAL JHOL –

• 800gCchicken
• 16gm Salt
• 3gm Turmeric
• 4 pcs (3g) dried red chillies
• 2 pcs (5g) Kashmiri red chillies
• 7gm Ginger
• 15gm Garlic
• 30g Mustard oil
• 2 pcs bay leaves
• 150gm Onions
• 150gm Potatoes
• 25gm Yoghurt
• 8gm Sugar (Optional)
• 300g Water
• 1 pc Cinnamon
• 3 pcs Cloves
• 4 pcs Cardamom

 

METHOD to Make MURGIR LAL JHOL –

1. Mix the chicken with turmeric and 8g salt. Set aside.
2. Soak the dried red chillies and Kashmiri red chillies in hot water for 20 minutes.
3. Halve the potatoes and slice the onions.
4. Roughly chop ginger and garlic. Grind it along with the soaked chillies into a smooth paste.
5. Take a pan and heat mustard oil.
6. Add the spice paste and cook it for 3 minutes until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
7. Add the bay leaves.
8. Add onions and fry them for 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Add potatoes and the remaining salt (8g), and the yoghurt. Continue cooking until potatoes soften slightly, about 10 more minutes.
10. Add the chicken. Cook it in the spices on medium heat for 20 minutes.
11. Add hot water for the gravy and cook until the chicken is cooked & turn tender and potatoes are tender and juicy.
12. In a Sheel Nora/ Sil Batta or mortar pestle grind whole Garam Masala, that is — green cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon with some water until it forms a smooth paste.
13. Now add the freshly ground Garam Masala and some raw mustard oil (this is optional but must try).
14. Cook for 2 mins and turn off the flame.

Serve hot with a bowl of steamed rice and salad.

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