The name itself takes you back to the British colonial era,
you can picturize a quaint loghut with British architecture amidst a dense
forest. The Dak Bungalows or the bungalows on the postal (dak) route served as
rest houses during the hunting trips or long journeys to the remote places for
the British officers who spent some days in the serenity of the woods and
enjoyed country fowl curry whose more popular Bong term is ‘Bon Murgir Jhol’
cooked by the caretakers or the ‘Khansamas’ of that bungalow. This special
curry was cooked with the elementary spices freshly ground, potatoes and boiled
eggs.
Chicken Dak Bungalow |
Chicken Dak Bungalow was long lost within the kitchen walls
of the Anglo-Indians but thanks to some restaurateurs of Kolkata who again
revived this brilliant recipe in their menu charts and made this popular.
I had the fortune of tasting this awesome curry on my trip
to Ghatshila, with my parents at a very tender age. It is a small town situated
among the lush green forested hills of Jharkhand, on the banks of river
Subarnarekha, a favorite tourist spot of the Bengalis. After so many years I
still remember the taste and how we used to devour our lunch or dinner of Bon
Murgir Jhol and plain hot rice each time during our stay there, absolutely
divine.
Chicken Dak Bungalow |
The recipe…
Ingredients:
- 1 kg chicken with bone
- 5 onions sliced
- 11/2 inch ginger
- 8-9 cloves of garlic
- 1 large tomato pasted
- 5 whole red chillies
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 4 green cardamom
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves/tej patta
- 3 javitri (Mace)
- ½ jayphal (Nutmeg)
- 4 boiled eggs
- 2 large potatoes diced in quarters
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter/ ghee
- 200 gms yogurt
- Salt n sugar to taste
- Mustard oil as per requirement
Process:
Step 1:
Make a smooth paste of ginger, garlic, whole red chillies,
javitri and a half of jay phal together with a little water.
Step 2:
Marinate the chicken with yogurt, the paste, turmeric, kashmiri
red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, mustard oil and salt for an
hour.
Step 3:
Heat oil in a skillet and fry golden the boiled eggs and
potatoes. Take them out and keep aside.
Step 4:
Add ghee to the remaining oil and splutter the whole garam
masalas and bay leaves. Add the sliced onions and fry them golden. Add the
tomato paste, sauté for a few minutes. Now add the marinated chicken. Continue
stirring until the chicken pieces are well sealed. Add the potatoes and add
half cup of water. Let it simmer with a lid on until the chicken is almost
done.
Step 5:
Add the boiled eggs and let it simmer again for five minutes
more.
Chicken Dak Bungalow |
Step 6:
Garnish with slit green chillies and serve with steamed
rice.
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