Chicken Kosha (Spicy Chicken Curry)

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Ingredients and Spices:

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Chicken with bones: 425 gms of medium sized chunks of 3 to 4 inches each ( serves 2 -3 people)

Finely Chopped Onion: 250 gms

Tomato Puree: 75 gms

Mustard Oil: 3 & 1/2 tbsf

Tej Pata (Bay Leaves): 2 leaves

Turmeric Powder: 1 tsf

Red Chilli Powder ( Kashmiri red chilli for flavor and color ): 1 tsf

Red Chilli Powder ( Normal for flavor): 1/2 tsf

Ginger Paste: 1 tsf

Garlic Paste: 1 tsf

Garam Masala: 2 green cardamom pods (elaichi) and 1 small piece (1 cm) cinnamon (dalchini)

( we should exclude the other ingredients of Garam Masala)

Salt: 1 tsf

Sugar: 1/2 tsf

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Initial Preparation:

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Crush the finely chopped onion in a sil-nora (traditional Bengali grinding stone) or a mixer-grinder. Do not crush it to a fine paste but rather a coarse uneven paste with some whole pieces.

Crush the garam masala to a fine paste after adding a few drops of water and set aside. Do not throw away the cardamom skin even if it does not turn into a fine paste.

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Method:

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1. Wash and rinse the chicken pieces thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Add all of the onion, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, bay leaves, tomato puree, 1 tsf salt and 1/2 tbsf of mustard oil to the bowl and mix the ingredients vigorously. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes.

2. Heat 3 tbsf mustard oil in a kadai or wok on medium heat. When the oil is hot enough (there are no more air bubbles and the color is slightly pale) turn down the oven sim and pour the contents of the bowl into the kadai.

3. Cover the kadai with a lid and allow the chicken to cook on medium heat for approximately 8 minutes. Lift the lid every 2 minutes to stir the contents for even cooking.

4. Turn down the heat to sim after 8 minutes and repeat the above process for a further 8 minutes.

5. Remove the lid and add the sugar. Then cook on medium heat for 3 minutes and stir the contents properly two or three times.

6. Add one cup of water (approx 100 gms) and cook on high flame till the water starts to boil.

7. Turn down the heat to a little above sim and put the lid back on. Allow the contents to cook for 5 to 6 minutes.

8. Add the garam masala paste and stir. Then put the lid back and cook for a minute. Serve hot.