8 pm, Sept 29th, Kolkata, India.
It is a very cool evening. Finally people of Kolkata are having some relief from heat. Whole city is preparing for the biggest festival of bengali. People are busy buying clothes, shoes. There are pandals everywhere, kash ful in fields, shiuli in trees. Puja is coming.
Arohi just closed the laptop after checking her emails. She, works in a secondary school from 11-4 pm. When, she was about to leave the room to cook the dinner for her, her land phone started ringing.
Arohi:Hello
A male voice of mid 20s replied:”Didi(A bengali word of calling big sister), I just reached Howrah Station. I will have dinner with you and go to my friend’s hostel.”
Arohi:”When are you coming?”
Her brother replied : “I will be there in an hour or so. Just cook something very simple.”
Before Arohi about to ask, what do you want to eat – her brother hung up. She murmured – “Oh Rupam, what will you do when your wife will come!”
She opened her refrigerator. She saw a packet of chicken and some left over rice. Quickly she decided to make the spicy hot chicken curry for her brother.
From their childhood, Arohi and Rupam like to eat super hot food. They lost their mom, when Arohi was 10 and Rupam was 7. Since then Arohi is Rupam’s mother. Rupam ask for whatever he wants to this big sister and she fulfills it. Their father was always very busy with his work, and barely had time for kids. Both kids grew up with their Roi Dadu, the cook. Rupam still lives with his father and 60 year old Roi Dadu. When Rupam gets bored of Roi Dadu’s food, he takes the train from Jamshedpur and comes to Arohi’s home to eat from her hand.
When Arohi’s mom died, she could not leave anything for her except a diary full of recipes. She wrote her personal recipes by thinking, one day Arohi will cook them when she is going to get married. But, whenever Arohi felt like running to her mom’s lap and crying, she took this diary and cooked something for her dad, brother, roi dadu. That was a way of remembering her mom.
She grew up older, graduated from school and joined a local school in Kolkata. Initially her dad was very reluctant to send one and only daughter to Kolkata. But Arohi is very much stubborn and always followed the path she chose. She convinced her father with her logic and sweet smile. She promised to see him at least once in a month.
Five year passed, Arohi moved to Kolkata. She did not forget her promise.
Recipe for Chicken Curry
I made this spicy hot chicken curry which is very basic and simple by thinking of Arohi. You can make with the ingredients you find in your local grocery. I used lot of red chili powder to make it very hot. You can add it as much as you can tolerate.
Marination
- Chicken – 1 lb
- Vineger/Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
- Salt
- Chili Powder – 1 tsp
Cut the chicken in 2″ sizes and in a bowl marinate with vinegar, salt and red chili powder. I marinated it at first and then prepared the rest.
- whole garam masala – 1 cinnamom stick, 3 whole cardamom, 5 cloves
- 1 medium Onion – thinly sliced
- Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
- Whole Green Chilli – 4 slitted
- Whole Red Chilli – 4
- Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
- Chili Powder – 3 tbsp(Add as much you can tolerate)
- Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp
- Chicken Tandoori Masala(MDH) – 2 tsp
- Greek Yoghurt – 2 tbsp
- Salt
- Butter/Clarified Butter/Oil – 3 tbsp
- Add ghee to the thick bottom pan. You can use clay-pot too – it tastes better when it’s cooked in clay-pot.
- When it is warmed up, add the whole red chillies and whole garam masala.
- When they are warmed up little bit (1 min) add the onion and fry it well until it turns golden. Don’t burn or brown the onion.
- Add the green chillies and fry few minutes more carefully.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, red chili powder and cook until you see oil separates.
- Now take the marinated chicken – squeeze it to get rid of excess liquid and add to the pan.
- Mix the masala paste with the chicken well and close the lid . Remember to put the flame to medium low, otherwise it will not get cooked.
- Cook it for 8-10 minutes.
- When it is getting cooked – prepare the yoghurt. Mix tandoori masala and garam masala with it. Add some water and whisk it to paste.
- Add this to the meat after 8-10 minutes and cook it for 15 minutes more with lid closed.
- When you will see oil or ghee on the top like my picture Close the flame but don’t take it from the oven.
Garnish it with some cilantro and eat with naan or rice.
