Dakbanglow chicken curry served with Basanti pulav

Chicken DakBungalow curry is an Anglo-Indian dish which is quite  popular among Bongs. It consists of a whole egg, chicken on the bone &  potatos,cut into halves, cooked using garam masalas and results in a thick onion-ginger-garlic-tomato based gravy. I recreated the Chicken Dak Bungalow but gave it a twist by putting the chicken on a Dum(Steaming), which is cooking the curry in its own moisture thereby imparting it a different taste.

Ingredients:

•Chicken: 500 gms, on the bone.
•Onion: 200 gms.Paste.
•Garlic: 10 cloves.Made into a paste.
•Ginger: 1/2 inch slice.Made into a paste.
•Curd: 70-80 gms. Whisked.
•Vegetable Oil: 3 tablespoons
•Salt: To taste.
•Turmeric Powder:1.5 tsp
•Red Chilli Powder:1 tsp.
•Coriander Powder:2 tsp
•Cumin Powder:1.5 tsp.
 Egg: 2. Whole boiled.
•Tomato:2,Made into a paste.
•Salt: To taste.
•Ghee: 1 tbsp.
•Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp.
 Green Cardamon:4
•Cinnamon Stick:One 1 inch stick
•Cloves: 5-6
•Black Pepper:5-6.Crushed.
•Bay leaf:2
•Red Chilli:1
•Cumin Seeds:1 tsp.
•Potato:2-3,deskinned sliced into 2.Lightly fried.





Procedure:

•Mix all the above ingredients together and keep aside for 2-3 hours in the ope

•Fried Brown Onion Paste:First dice onions and fry in oil until golden brown. Then make the fried onions into a paste

•Heat the oil in a pan/wok.Once the oil gets hot, add the Whole spices.
•Wait for the spices to sputter and crackle. The end of which they will release the aroma.
•Add the entire contents of the marinade to the wok.
•Increase the oven to High Heat.
•Add the tomato paste.
•Braise the chicken properly so that the colour changes to golden brown.It should require 15-20 mins.
•Add the potato slices and the whole eggs. Also add the brown onions
•Stir the mixture properly for another 5 mins.
•Check for the salt and add more if required.
•Turn off the oven.
 For the"Dum":

•Transfer the entire contents into a container and seal it with a covered lid.Please note that the amount of moisture is important for the Dum, else the ingredients will stick to the bottom.
•Under low heat, let the contents cook for 45-50 mins.
•Remove the sealed lid and add Ghee and Garam Masala powder in the quantities mentiond above.
•Give the ingredients one final stir.

Basanti Pulav:
Half-cooked Basmati rice: 2 cups(Add half spoon turmeric powder to the water whil boiling the rice)
Cinnamon:1 inch
Cloves:4
Green cardamom:3
Bay leaves:2
Whole black pepper:4-6
Dry whole kashmiri red chilly:2
Cashew:10-12
Raisins:12-15
Salt to taste
Sugar:2 tbsps or as per your taste
Saffron threads:10-12(soaked in 3tbsps of warm milk)
Ghee:4tbsps
Kewra water:1tsp
Preparation:
Heat ghee & add all spices except saffron.
Add rice,cashew raisins & cook until suger melts down.
Add saffron & kewra water & mix well.
Close the lid & keep for another 5 mins.
Serve it.

Egg Nest

Ingredients:
Chicken keema:250gm
Boiled eggs:8
Chopped corriender: 1 tbsp
Chopped onion:1
Mayonnaise:2 tbsps
Lemon juice:1 tbsp
Bread crumb:2 tbsps
White oil:1 tbsp
Butter:1 tsp
Chilly sausce:1/2 tbsp
Black pepper powder:1 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar:1/2 tsp

Preparation:
Heat oil & fry onion with sugar till it turns golden
Add keema & other ingredients & stir well.
Cut the boiled eggs into halves,remove the egg yolks & smash it.
When oil starts to remove from sides,add smashed egg yolks & mix it well.
Cook for 5 mins.
Pour this mix into the boiled eggs.
Serve it with sandwiches.

Daab Chingri (King Prawns cooked in Tender coconut pulp)

Daab Chingri is a Bengali delicacy..The creamy tender coconut pulp makes the dish special.

Ingredients
• King prawns(peeled and deveined):4-6
• Tender coconut 1 large
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard oil 1 tablespoon
• Ginger paste 1 teaspoon
• Garlic paste 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Green chillies,slit 4-5
• Coconut,scraped 1/4 cup
• Tender coconut flesh (malai),chopped 1/4 cup
• Whole wheat flour (atta) dough as required

Method
Cut off an inch from the top of the tender coconut, drain the water and keep it for use to make gravy.
scoop out the flesh. Retain the top to act as a lid. Preheat oven to 220°C or high mode.
Add salt and turmeric powder to the prawns.
Mix and set aside.
Heat mustard oil in a pan.
Add ginger and garlic pastes, green chillies and coconut and continue to sauté for two minutes.
Add coconut water and stir. Add prawns and stir.
Add coconut flesh and adjust salt.
Transfer the mixture into tender coconut shell.
Cover with the lid and seal with dough.
Place in the preheated oven and cook for about twenty minutes.
Sprinkle some freshly grated coconut on the top.
Open the lid and serve hot wit rice or pulav.

Kesar Malpua

I'm a great fan of Malpuas...I have tried different types of malpuas..this time i made Kesar malpua...note the malpuas took yellow colour & the flavour as well due to kesar(saffron)...
I dont use Rawa or baking powder to make malpua as rawa or baking powder makes malpuas hard...

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup condensed milk
Ghee: 2 cups
Safrron: 1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1.5 cups
Water: 1 cup
Black cardamom seeds:1/4 tsp

Method:

Make a moderately thick batter with flour & condensed milk.You can add a little more milk to make the batter proper.Add half of the saffron to the batter.
Boil the water with sugar & cardamom seeds & rest of the saffron to make a thin syrup.
Heat ghee in a nonstick pan or kadai.fry the mulpuas till they become cryspy.
Remove from ghee & put into sugar syrup.
Keep it for 5-6 hrs. & then serve it.

Hope you like it!!

Chhana Bora(sweet made from cottage cheese)

Chhana-Bora is a famous sweet of Murshidabad,West Bengal.It's easy to prepare at home.

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese/Chhana(freshly made): 200 gm.(water should be removed thoroughly)
Refined flour(Maida): 4 tbsps
Sugar: 1.5 cups+ 5 tbsps
Ghee: 1 cup
Water: 1 cup 

Method:
Boil the water with 1.5 cups of sugar to make the syrup.
Knead the chhana, maida & 5 tbsps of sugar to make a soft,smooth dough.
Take 2 tbsps of the dough & prepare the bora like a kofta.
Heat ghee in a non-stick frying pan.
Fry the bora till it turns golden.
Remove it from ghee.
Put all chhana-boras into the sugar syrup.
Soak it in the syrup for atleast for 8-10 hrs.
Serve it hot or cool.

Egg Malai Curry

Egg Malai Curry is a very delicious dish which is very easy to cook & can be served with steamed rice or Pulav.

Ingredients:

Boiled eggs: 6
Onion paste: 4tbsps
Ginger paste: 1/2 tsp
Chopped garlic :1/4 tsp
Bay leaves: 2
Cloves:3
Green cardamom: 3
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Whole black peppers: 4
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri red chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri red chillies(whole): 2
Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp 
White oil:4 tbsps
Ghee: 1/2 tsp
Whipped cream: 2 tbsps
Coconut milk(thick): 1/2 cup
Coconut milk(thin): 1 cup
Milk: 2 tbsps
Salt:as per taste
Sugar: 1 tsp

Method:
Heat 2 tbsps oil.
Rub boiled eggs with turmeric powder,chilly powder &salt 1 pinch each.
Fry eggs in oil till they turn golden.
Remove eggs from oil.
Add remaining oil & heat.
Add bay leaves,whole  red chillies,garam masala,black peppers & chopped garlic.
Remove the chopped garlic when they turn golden so that only its flavour mixes with the oil.
Add onion & ginger paste with the sugar & fry till it turns golden.
Add turmeric powder,chilly powder,cumin powder,salt & thin coconut milk.
Add eggs when the gravy starts boiling & cook for 10 mins.
Add thick coconut milk,whipped cream,milk,ghee & cook for 5 mins.
Serve it with rice or pulav

Doi Machh(Fish cooked in curd)

Doi machh is a popular Bengali dish..Flavours of ghee,garam masala & curd make it rich in taste..it can be served with steamed rice or pulav..

Ingredients:
Rohu fish: 1 kg(cut into medium pieces)
White oil: 1cup
Ghee:  3 tsps
Green cardamom:3
Cloves:3
Bay leaves: 2
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Whipped curd:300gm
Onion paste: 1/2 cup
Ginger juice: 1/2 tsp 
Kashmiri red chilly powder: 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Sugar: 1 tsp 

Method:
1.Clean the pieces of fish & rub with salt.
2.Keep it for 10-15 mins so that water drains properly.
3.Heat oil & add whole garam masala & bay leaves.
4.Add fish pieces when garam masala starts to splutter.
5.Remove the pieces when they turn gloden in colour.
6.Remove the used oil & add 2 tsp of ghee & heat it.
7.Add onion paste & ginger juice with sugar & fry till it turns golden in colour.
8.Add the whipped curd with 2 cups of water & chilly powder.
9.Add the fried fish pieces when the gravy starts boiling.
10.Cook till the gravy thickens.
11.Add 1 tsp of ghee.
12.Serve it hot with steamed rice or pulav.