BORISHALI MURGI

I will have to begin this write up by talking about y roots, a bit, I promise. Both my paternal & maternal sides have their roots in Bangladesh, basically proud Bangals. Those were lovely days, when you get to hear parents conversing with the elders in their local dialect, and often narrating the stories of their motherland linked with the food, cookies at home. Nostalgia is a bad thing, so cut to the prevailing 21st century.

Borishal, Or Barishal ( as it is officialy known) is in south central Bangladesh, formerly known as Bakerganj district.. As kids, we would often hear stories of people hailing from Borishal and their ability to consume heat in the form of extra dollops of chili paste being added to the food, along with many other qualites, which I must abstain from revealing in public. Well, both my families do hail from Bangladesh, not from this particular province. My maternal family traces it's roots in Bikrampur, Dhaka, while the paternal family hails from Faridpur district. It is the name that got my intrigued, when I came across this recipe. This was published in a Bengali monthly magazine, if I remember correctly, few years back. I knew I will have to try this out, at the soonest. Quarantine paved way for me to fulfill this wish. And here I am, all set to spill the beans, as to how to get this cracking dish on your table.

1. Start by soaking 5 dry red chilies in water for about 15-20 mins.
2. Take 250 g chicken on bones please), wash & clean, keep them aside. Time to peel 2 medium size potatoes, roughly about 180 gm, & cut them into chunks. Peel 6 cloves of garlic ( do not bruise them). Bruise 2 green cardamoms and keep aside. In a mortar & pestle pound about 8 whole cashews (soaked in water for 10 mins) to a paste.
3. Once the chilies have softened, add them to your mortar & pestle along with a pinch of salt +  6 cloves of garlic and pound them roughly.
4. In a big bowl place the chicken and cubed potatoes along with whole garlic cloves+ 2 tbsp of onion & tomato paste ( I will mention the procedure below) + chili garlic paste + 1 tbsp mustard oil + half tsp turmeric, salt. Marinate for 20 mins, is enough.

5. Slice up bout  1 and a half red onion ( 70 gm) into medium thick half moons and keep aside.
6. Heat your earthen pot or any non-stick pan and and add in 3 tbsp mustard oil . Break 1 dry red chili & add to the cold oil. Allow the oil to heat up till it starts emanating specks of smoke.
7. Time to add in the sliced onions and allow them to cook & brown on medium high flame. Once they turn golden add in about 4 tbsp of onion paste & cook till the raw smell disappears and oil starts appearing on the sides of the pan.
8. At this point, add in the marinated chicken & potato the pan and bhuno or stir fry with gusto till combined well with the spices. Allow the chicken to cook, with occasional stirring till oil starts appearing on the sides. It should take about 10 mins.

9. Throw in about 2 cups of chicken stock now, along with some salt ( to taste of course!) & the cardamoms, give a good mix. Allow it to come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the flame to medium, cover & allow it to cook for about 15 mins.
10. Do check in between and stir occasionally. Once the meat is tender & potatoes are cooked, crank up the flame, and add in the cashew paste. Stir well and cook for 3-4 mins, till gravy thickens. At this stage taste & adjust seasoning.
11. Finish the chicken with a handful of chopped green coriander. Cover and keep aside for 10 mins, allowing the flavors to reach their climax.

12. The best accompaniment is piping hot steamed rice. For someone looking for an adventure, couscous also soaks up the juice reasonably well.

Onion Tomato paste:  In a blender whiz together 5 medium tomatoes + 5 medium onions to make a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and pour in the paste. Cook till the mix has thickened & have reduced to half. By this time, their raw smell shall also disappear. This ready paste can be the base of many more dishes, while saving our time.

This recipe is forgiving, not demanding, and comforting: To me that's the essence of this chicken curry. It reminds you of the fables narrated by grandmothers, stories of their carefree childhoods and then the great divide, that not only divided lands but also bonds between humans. Needless to say the scars they bore their entire life of leaving behind family and friends. But amidst all of this, they remained connected to their land, vi food. The food they have grown up eating, and have feed their children and grand children in return. A silent transfer of heirlooms for generation to come!

Emotional, am I? Well get cooking, and maybe one morsel of this with some steaming hot rice or chapatis for that matter ( do not forget to squeeze in some lime, Gondhoraj if possible), will convey much more sense than what's said. What also made this special is the flavor of the earthen wear vessel, in which this was cooked. I would advice you to use any pots ad pans of your choice.

Emotions complete humans. Complain & worry when they disappear. Till then it's all good.
Stay safe.