Bengali Chicken Curry
Bengali Curry is all about the local five spice blend Panch Phoran. A combination of cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and Nigella seeds or kalonji seeds as they are sometimes know. This spice mix gives a lovely warming, deep, savoury flavour to the curry. ‘Ome Made Bengali Curry Masala takes a basic mild curry Masala and adds these extra spices so you don’t have to mess about making your own blend up. I have also added some Kashmiri chilli which gives an excellent colour. In addition I have added a little Amchur (mango) powder and Tamarind powder for a little bit of a sour tang.
Ingredients
- 700 g Chicken diced (thigh works well, don’t use to bigger pieces unless you want to par-cook first)
- 4-5 tbsp oil sunflower or vegetable
- 2 large onions finely chopped or blitzed in a blender or food processor
- 4 -5 big fat cloves of garlic finely chopped or grated
- 1 inch cubed piece of ginger finely chopped or grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp tomato puree stirred in to 800ml hot water
- 12 Fresh curry leaves if you can get them, Waitrose sell them! If you can’t get them, leave out as dry just don’t cut it
- 4 teaspoon ‘Ome Made Bengali Curry Masala
- 2 tomatoes roughly diced
- 4-8 green chillies hot Thai, bird eye or cayenne work well sliced and a few left whole if you like.
- 1 lime juice of
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2-3 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped fesh coriander.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a kadai or heavy bottomed pan.
- Once hot add the curry leaves if using WARNING they will splutter!
- Add the onions straight after adding the curry leaves. Add the salt and turn to a low heat. The onions need to cook for 15-20 minutes. The salt will help draw the water out of the onions so they will cook quicker. Once the onions are soft and translucent the heat can be turned up slightly. The onion wants to start to caramelise and turn a pale brown colour.
- After 15-20 minutes add the garlic and ginger. The heat can now be turned up to medium. Fry for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the Bengali Curry Masala and stir in. This wants to cook out for about 40 seconds. Be careful it doesn’t catch and burn. If it looks like it’s going to add a splash of the water/tomato paste.
- After cooking the spices for 2 minutes add ½ of the water/tomato paste mix. Reduce down on a reasonably high heat until your left with a very thick sauce.
- Add the rest of the water/tomato paste. Bring back to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, stir in and let cook on a reasonably fast simmer so that the sauce continues to reduce.
- After the chicken has been cooking for 15-20 minutes add all the other ingredients.
- Cook for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
- Serve with rice and bread garnish with a slice of fresh lime, chilli squids and a few coriander leaves.
Notes
You can use a base sauce for this curry. Just use less or even no onion and only use 1.5 tbsp of tomato puree in around 200ml of water then use around 600ml of base.
If you want to pre-cook the chicken just add it to a pan with the tomato paste and water or base sauce if you decide to use that and cook gently while you’re frying everything else.
If using chicken breast, reduce the time the chicken is cooking.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
