Aloo Murghir Jhol - From Vanga, with love

The Bengalis know how to eat king-size. PERIOD. Be it their poshtos, or their jhols, their chats, and most importantly, their sweets, everything is labelled with one obvious trait common to these people from the land blessed with one of the largest river deltas in the world - an unquenchable love for food. Delicate and rich, sweet and spicy, and loaded with fish, the Bengali cuisine is as unique as every other cuisine spread across the country. And do I even need to start about their sweet tooth? They have given a whole new life to Paneer in their Sandesh, the Cham-Chams, and the ubiquitous Rosogollas. When we had some Bengalis as our neighbours back home, our maid used to talk in awe of their ability to go straight from their beds, every morning, to the kitchen, where they plopped an entire Rosogolla down their mouths before going about their daily chores. Like I said - love for food.

Back in school, I had a Bengali friend, whose mom used to make some seriously delicious stuff that I had neither seen nor heard of in Chennai. Shrimps fried in a sweet batter, some of the best aloo curries, and a select few yummy chicken dishes were enough for me to badger my mother endlessly with the enviable cooking abilities of 'Aunty'. Years later, I landed in Cincinnati to discover that it had a sizable Bengali community among the student population. The Durga Pujos and Basant Panchamis were celebrated with much verve, colour and of course, food. But alas, my only Bengali friend's love for food was totally overcome by her hatred for the kitchen and I rarely got to taste some homemade Bong food, until her mom came along for a visit! Bhegun Bhaja, Aloo-Gobhi curry floating in Mustard oil, Chenaar Payesh, Chicken with Green Papayas - I had one of the best dinners in a long time. All of a sudden, Mishti Dois, Jhols, Hilish, and Khajur-Gud (Date-derived Jaggery) were the only things that I ever wanted to eat, and much to the irritation of my roommate, mustard oil became the only oil fit for our consumption. Though this phase eventually died out, that spark of love for Bong food was unextinguished. So, last week, when the existence of excess chicken in the freezer and frigid weather coincided with a snow-day of class cancellation from the University, what else is to be expected from the kitchen of a bong-food-starved-tamil guy but  some awesome Aloo Murghir Jhol.

ALOO MURGHIR JHOL (Serves 4)
Set-up Time : 4 Hours Marination + 15 Minutes Chop-Work

Experiment Run-Time : 30 Minutes

The Shopping List

          Set 1: Soak-Shop
          Chicken : 500 gms
          (I used the breast, but chicken-on-the-bone is the best)
          Fresh Thick Curd : 2 Tbsp
          Tomatoes : 1 small, chopped

          Green Chili Paste : Made with 4-5 Chilies
          Ginger-Garlic Paste: From 1 inch ginger and 4 garlic cloves
          (or) Ginger-Garlic Paste:1 Tbsp of off-the-shelf paste
          Red Chili Powder : 1 Tsp
          Mustard Oil : About 1.5 Tbsp
          Salt : A deemed fit

          

          Set 2: Jhol-Jhol
          Potatoes : 2 medium, cut into sixths or eighths

          Onions : 1 Big, sliced thinly
          Ginger-Garlic Paste: From 1 inch ginger and 4 garlic cloves
          (or) Ginger-Garlic Paste:1 Tbsp of off-the-shelf paste
          Red Chili Powder : 1/2 Tbsp 
          Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp

          Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp 
          Mustard Oil : 4-6 Tbsp
          Salt : as per taste
          Sugar : 1/2 tsp (Oh yes, they add this)

          

          Set 3: The Spices
          Cloves : 2-3

          Whole Green Cardamom : 2
          Cinnamon : 1/2" stick
          Whole Black Pepper : 7-8
           Bay Leaves : 2

Methodology

1. Gently rub all the ingredients of the marinade in Set 1 into the chicken pieces (I cut the chicken breast into generous 2-bite sized pieces) and allow the flavours to soak into the meat for about 3-4 hours. I didn't feel the need to refrigerate it as the kitchen was already at a shivering 4 degrees.

2. Rub a little salt, Chili Powder and Turmeric Powder into the potato pieces, and shallow fry them in sufficient mustard oil until you start seeing brown spots on the potatoes. Carefully drain on a paper towel and keep them aside.

3. In the same pan, add the remaining oil and once it heats up to its smoking point, season it with the spices given in Set 3. 

4. When the spices start sputtering, add the sliced onions and the sugar. Sauté the onions until they turn pink. You may add a little sugar for quick caramelization.

5. Now, add the ginger-garlic paste, the turmeric powder, the chili powder and salt. Fry on a low-flame until the raw smell of the spice-powders and the GG paste disappears.

6. Finally, empty the contents of the marinade bowl - chicken, curd, and spices, along with the fried potatoes into the vessel and stir gently to mix the contents. Now starts the slow process of browning the meat (Kashano) on a low heat. The chicken needs to be stirred patiently, until the oil starts to separate at  the sides. Usually, it takes anywhere between 15-20 minutes.

7. Once the oil is glistening on the sides of the pan, add water to bring the Jhol to the desired consistency. Since I wanted it to be more on the watery side, I added close to a cup and half of warm water. 

8. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down, sprinkle some Garam Masala and serve immediately, with an equally hot bowl of steamed white rice.

     
The warmth and comfort of this delicacy on the above mentioned frigid day is near-incomparable. The chicken pieces fell apart at my slightest touch and the potatoes added further joy to the pot. All that was missing was some Mishti-Doi and the right people for the lunch-time debates that Bengalis are famous for. Else it was খুব সুস্বাদু (Absolutely Yummy)!