It feels like yesterday that I threw a New Year’s party, but a month has already passed. I think time is slipping through my fingers. February is an important month in my life. My husband was born in February and our wedding anniversary is on the 14th. Last year I could not do anything for my husband because I had undergone surgery and was too sick to get out of bed. So I thought of doing some little things to make my husband feel special. Stay tuned!
The weather was very chilly last week. Most of the time, the temperature was in the single digits Farenheight. Everyone in the office had to work from home because there was a travel ban all over the Massachusetts on Tuesday. Most of the area got 20-30 inches of snow. This week, there was another storm on Monday which dropped 12-18 inches of more snow. We again worked from home. There is a forecast of getting 6 inches more snow on Thursday. There is gust of wind with snow flakes flowing at 70 miles per hour. In a nutshell, I am craving for none other than spicy and hot chicken curry.
Drumstick Curry or “Chicken Chaanp” is crucial in Bengali Cuisine. This is not what my Grammy made, but my mother learnt this recipe from ‘Sanada’ (a local magazine) and mastered it after cooking only a couple of hundred times. She tried a few different methods of cooking it and then came up with a version that dad and I both love. When M went to India this year she cooked it for him too. He still asks me to cook it the way she does. I say with a grin, “I will, one day.”
There’s a little bit of history behind chicken chaanp. This dish has been brought to Bengal by Mughals. It has a perfect blend of richness and royalty. The gravy has a shiny royal color to it, and, until you see that color, your recipe is not done right! This is best served with ‘Pulao’ or ‘Biriyani’. To be specific, none of our wedding parties is complete without ‘Biriyani’ and ‘Chicken-Chaanp.’ In Kolkata, a restaurant called Aminia serve the best chicken chaanp. I have never eaten there but folks who have claim my mom’s version is a lot better. I always feel good when someone compliments my mom’s cooking like that. Wouldn’t you?
So, on a cold, Sunday evening when you want to indulge in royal delicacies think about this drumstick curry aka “chicken chaanp” with Biriyani or Naan. I cooked sweet pilaf to go with it 🙂
Ingredients
- 10 whole chicken legs
- Marination
- 1 medium red onion, half quartered and half thinly sliced
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger
- 4 pods garlic
- 3 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- Cooking
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon cashew
- 1 teaspoon melon seeds
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chile powder – for color
- 1 tablespoon kewra water
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Marination
1. In a food processor, add 1/2 onion, ginger and garlic. Make it into a fine paste. Transfer it to a bowl.
2. Add chicken pieces, yogurt, chile powder and cover the bowl with cling wrap.
3. Set it aside for a minimum of 30 minutes to overnight.
Cooking
1. In a coffee grinder or a spice grinder, work the poppy seeds, cashew and melon seeds until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water to make a fine paste.
2. In a big, non-stick pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoon oil. Strain chicken pieces out of the marination and fry it until opaque. Put it aside in the same marination bowl.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the same pan. Add onion slices from the halved red onion. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they are golden brown.
4. Add the poppy-cashew paste (step 1) and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the marination liquid with the chicken pieces.
6. Add nutmeg powder, ground mace and kashmiri chile powder.
7. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes by stirring continuously. When you do not smell any raw, lower the temperature and cook covered for 15-20 minutes until it is cooked through.
8. Add kewra water just before taking it off the flame. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Naan or Pilaf.
Hi Dolphia..I have always admired your photography style !! More than that, I am loving how you have given the recipe in such a easy way..totally on my to do list now 🙂 🙂 ..will share the results with you soon 🙂
The chicken looks so enticing. Delicious!
Hello Nidhi. This is my mum’s recipe. Please let me know how it turns out for you. She will be happy to hear that.Thank you for your generous comment, I am not a pro – just learning photography.
Thank you Jyothi 🙂
Nana, Arsalan for the Biryani. Royal and Aminia for the Chaanp. 😀
Thanks for correcting Poorna. I never ate in anyone of them. So have no idea 😀 Updating the post
Baked Fish & Drumstick Curry – both are DROOLING. TILL we make it & relish – feel like eating the photographs !!!
Manu, thank you so much for your compliments. It means a lot to me. Please let me know if you made it
I so want to make this but I am afraid of: (1) I cannot find the ingredients and can’t even pronounce them !! (2) I need to have hands on demo as all my experience has been Western/European style food.
I love chicken drumsticks and it looks so good, I want to eat the photo.
Dear Dolpia,
I have tried many of your recipes and they are awesome. Thanks…keep cooking and posting.
Best..
Shaki