Bengali Style Chicken Masala

With the Bengali wedding season going on I'm sharing Chicken Masala cooked in Bengali style which was a popular dish in wedding dinner menu in 80's!
It was served with Misti Polao(Bengali style fried rice) along with other delicacies.
The colour & the flavour of the Chicken masala depend on the right amount of spices,seasonings and proper marination.
The garam masala used in this dish is cinnamon,green cardamom and clove which has to be freshly ground.

Ingredients:
Chicken : 1 kg
Curd : 1 cup
Ginger juice:1 tsp
Garlic paste : 2 tbsp
Red Chili powder : 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chili powder : 1 tsp
Finely sliced onion :2 cups(please dont use onion paste!)
Bay leaves:2
Cinnamon sticks : One 2” stick
Ground garam masala:1 tsp(cinnamon 1inch:2 cardamoms:3 cloves)
Nutmeg powder:1/4 tsp
Green cardamom :2 
Cloves :2
Sugar : 2 tsp
Salt : To taste
Mustard oil : ¼ cup
Hot water:1-1.5 cups

Method:
Marinate the chicken in curd,ginger juice, garlic paste, salt,ground garam masala and about 1 tsp sugar for a 2-3hours or preferably overnight.

Heat the oil.

Add the remaining sugar and caramelize to a golden brown color.

Temper with bay leaves and whole garam masala.

Fry the sliced onion with pinches of salt till the onion becomes soft.

Add the chicken,both red chili powders and stir well for a few minutes. 

Cook the chicken in simmer covering with a lid.

Add the hot water after the raw smell of the chicken is gone.

Cook till the chicken is soft and the gravy becomes thickened.

Remove it from the stove and enjoy this savoury dish with hot steamed rice or misti polao !