Chapor ghonto...

Few days back I saw a meme that stated 'Vegetarian Bengali is a Myth'. My reaction was "are you kidding me!!!!". Really.. have you ever heard about aloo posto (Potato cooked with poppy seed), sukto (a bitter sweet vegetable stew), ghonto (vegetable mishmash), chochori (stir fried vegetables), the list is endless.
Unfortunately, Bengalis are universally labeled with mach-bhat (fish and rice) along with few cliche sweets like rosogolla and misti doi. Ask any celebrity outside Bengal they will try to say 'ami misti doi khete bhalobasi' (I love having sweet yogurt) in an obnoxious accent. I can ignore these useless attempt to win hearts by saying something that's written  either by their PR agencies or else said to increase their fan following. But when one call himself a 'Bong' and states that there is no such Bengali who follows vegetarian diet makes me think how much knowledge this new generation have about our rich food culture, and what makes them so irresponsible to make a comment in public forum and which gives a complete wrong conception about Bengali food.

Chicken kosha for a typical bong sunday

It is Sunday, so meat, either chicken or mutton is a must in the lunch menu for a Bong, . I made some spicy chicken kosha for the lunch. See how deeply rooted I’m, the 'Bangaliyana' flag bearer..LOL..

Kosha is a semi-dry curry, where the chicken pieces are slow-cooked with other spices. It goes well with pulao, roti or paratha. I made some pulao to go with the chicken kosha; oh what do you say…you don’t eat rice!!! Then you might not be a pure Bong. Bhat (bolied rice) is must for a bong..:)  

It is a pure bliss, having pulao and chicken kosha on a Sunday lunch then taking a nap. Ok ok not nap, let me refine it to siesta…still not convinced…still thinking about treadmills and counting calories…ok I should continue with my recipe then. Hopefully that will tempt you.

Ingredients needed for chicken kosha:

• Chicken (cut into 12-14pcs):800gm
• Potato(cut into quarters):1 large or 2 medium or 4 small
• Onion(thinly sliced):2cups
• Ginger(grated):2tbsp
• Garlic(grated):2tbsp
• Green chilies:5-6
• Dry red chilies:3-4
• Tomato(chopped):2
• Cinnamon:2-3 (1inch) sticks
• Cardamom:4-5
• Cloves:6-7
• Sugar:1tsp
• Turmeric powder:1/4tsp
• Degi mirch** powder:1ybsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil: 2-3tbsp

** Degi mirch is combination of kashmiri red chili powder and red capsicum, it is mildly hot and imparts a nice red color to the curry. Easily available in Indian stores.

Process of making chicken kosha:

1. Make a fine paste of grated ginger, garlic, dry red chilies, green chilies, keep aside.

2. Dry roast cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and grind to a coarse powder, keep aside in a closed container. This is our freshly made garam masala.

3. Add 1tbsp of oil in a pan, fry the peeled and quartered potatos till nicely brown.

4. Add oil in a kadai or pan, when the oil is hot add sugar and let it caramelise. This brings a nice color to the curry.

5. Add sliced onion to the oil. Cook till the onions turn nice brown in color. No I'm not talking about burning them, it is browning them. Be careful not to burn the onions, it will make the curry bitter.

6. Add the chicken pieces and cook with the onion. Add the freshly made paste and tomatoes and salt. cook in high heat and keep stirring continuously. The meat will release a lot of water. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder, degi mirch powder.

7. Keep cooking uncover in medium-high heat till the chicken is almost done or for 15-20min. Add the fried potato, sprinkle the freshly garam masala. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for another 15min. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Garnish with some slitted green chilies and serve hot. And don't forget the plate of pulao or roti along with the bowl of salad(sliced onion, cucumber, tomato).