Bengali chicken curry with potatoes is the kind of dish that announces itself from the kitchen door. Mustard oil hits a hot wok, and that sharp, nutty smell tells the whole house that lunch is on its way. This is a home-style jhol, not a restaurant gravy where I use bone-in chicken, golden potatoes, and a few whole spices working in the background. It is thin enough to pour over rice and sturdy enough to sit beside a plate of luchi.
Recipe Snapshot
- Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes is a flavorful dish that embodies the flavor and taste of Bengali Cuisine.
- Distinctive flavor from aromatic spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, to name a few, is used in this.
- The curry is savory, sharp and spicy, with creamy and warm potatoes.
- Preferably consumed with steamed rice or pulao but it can be complemented with roti, luchi or paratha.
- It takes me close to an hour to fry the potatoes and plate the final dish.
- Other minor options to the preparation could involve: Shorshe Bata Murgi, Murgir Jhol, Bhapa Chicken, Chana Dal with Chicken or Kosha Mangsho.
The Ingredients:
- Chicken: 1 kg (cut and cleaned)
- Potatoes: 3 pieces (cut into halves)
- Onion: 3 pieces (chopped)
- Ginger-Garlic-Chili Paste: (made with 1.5-inch ginger, 2 pieces garlic and 5-6 red chilis)
- Green Chili: 3 pieces
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Roasted Cumin Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Coriander Powder: ½ tbl spoon
- Cumin Powder: ½ tbl spoon
- Mustard Oil – 4 tbl spoon
- Vinegar – 1 tbl spoon (or lemon juice, same quantity)
- Salt to Taste
- Whole Spices: bay leaves: 2, cumin seeds: 1 tbl spoon, cinnamon sticks: 2, cardamom: 4, black pepper: 8-9
How to Cook Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes (Step by Step Images)?
1. Pour oil into the wok. Fry the potatoes in smoking oil.
(Pro tip: Let the oil smoke first as it cuts mustard oil’s raw and pungent smell.)
2. Add salt and turmeric powder to potatoes while frying.
3. Remove the potatoes from oil once they turn light brown.
4. Add more oil if required.
5. Add whole spices such as bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, black pepper and stir for 1 minute.
6. When the spices start releasing aroma, add chopped onion, a pinch of salt and fry until they turn light brown.
(Pro tip: Stir in a pinch of sugar so the onions brown faster.)
7. Add chicken pieces and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and salt as per taste. Mix well.
8. After the chicken changes its color, add ginger-garlic-chili paste. Mix well and sauté for 5 minutes.
(Pro tip: Do not rush this step. Fry until the oil separates. It will remove the raw taste of ginger and garlic).
9. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander-cumin powder.
10. Mix the spices with the chicken. Stir a few minutes and leave it for 5 minutes to allow chicken to get cooked in its own water.
11. Add garam masala and potatoes and stir for 1 minute so that the potatoes are mixed well with spices.
12. Add water according to desired gravy consistency after 5 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid and leave it for 10 minutes.
13. Add green chilis and roasted cumin powder.
14. Cook for another 5 minutes and Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes is ready. Pour it in a bowl. Serve it with steamed rice, pulao, luchi, Paratha, roti or chapati.
Customize Your Recipe
- Sometimes, I marinate chicken overnight in curd and turmeric for a richer gravy.
- To add a tang, I often use two chopped tomatoes with onions.
- I skip frying the potatoes and parboil them instead when I want a lighter curry.
- When I finish with a teaspoon of ghee off the heat sometimes, the whole dish smells a lot richer.
Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes Recipe Solutions Guide
Q: Why did my potatoes fall apart?
A: I once fried them past light brown in step 3, and they fell apart later. Avoid doing this.
Q: Can I prevent the onions from burning before getting brown?
A: In step 6, you may add a tablespoon of water.
Q: Why is my curry too hot?
A: You must have added too much red chili powder. Maintain the ratio as I have said.
Q: Why do the spices stick to the wok?
A: I would reduce the flame to medium while adding the spices, if I were you.
Q: Why is the chicken still firm?
A: Once I cut step 12 short and the chicken stayed firm. Ten full minutes fixed it.
Q: How do I fix watery gravy?
A: Keep the lid off in step 14.
Recipe Card:
Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes (Aloo Diye Murgir Jhol)
Ingredients
- Chicken: 1 kg cut and cleaned
- Potatoes: 3 pieces cut into halves
- Onion: 3 pieces chopped
- Ginger-Garlic-Chili Paste: made with 1.5-inch ginger, 2 pieces garlic and 5-6 red chilis
- Green Chili: 3 pieces
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Roasted Cumin Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Coriander Powder: ½ tbl spoon
- Cumin Powder: ½ tbl spoon
- Mustard Oil – 4 tbl spoon
- Vinegar – 1 tbl spoon or lemon juice, same quantity
- Salt to Taste
- Whole Spices: bay leaves: 2 cumin seeds: 1 tbl spoon, cinnamon sticks: 2, cardamom: 4, black pepper: 8-9
Instructions
- Pour oil into the wok. Fry the potatoes in smoking oil.
- (Pro tip: Let the oil smoke first as it cuts mustard oil's raw and pungent smell.)
- Add salt and turmeric powder to potatoes while frying.
- Remove the potatoes from oil once they turn light brown.
- Add more oil if required.
- Add whole spices such as bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, black pepper and stir for 1 minute.
- When the spices start releasing aroma, add chopped onion, a pinch of salt and fry until they turn light brown. (Pro tip: Stir in a pinch of sugar so the onions brown faster.)
- Add chicken pieces and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and salt as per taste. Mix well.
- After the chicken changes its color, add ginger-garlic-chili paste. Mix well and sauté for 5 minutes. (Pro tip: Do not rush this step. Fry until the oil separates. It will remove the raw taste of ginger and garlic).
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander-cumin powder.
- Mix the spices with the chicken. Stir a few minutes and leave it for 5 minutes to allow chicken to get cooked in its own water.
- Add garam masala and potatoes and stir for 1 minute so that the potatoes are mixed well with spices.
- Add water according to desired gravy consistency after 5 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid and leave it for 10 minutes.
- Add green chilis and roasted cumin powder.
- Cook for another 5 minutes and Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes is ready. Pour it in a bowl. Serve it with steamed rice, pulao, luchi, Paratha, roti or chapati.
