Bengali Spicy and Dry Chicken Curry / Kasha Mangsho / Chicken Kasha

As a nation evolves with time so does its food habit. If you look closely to the history of India, you will realise how the tastes changed according to the trend and events and eventually became a part of the cuisine. Chicken is the most favoured and popular dish in Bengal after fishes. Many prefers red meat too...like mutton or lamb but because of their high prices it is not so common as chicken. It is ironic that once chicken was more expensive than mutton and even before that eating chicken was considered to be filthy. Even there were homes where cooking chicken was a taboo.
But the Bengalis who returned from India with a new taste in their tongue started a new culture of eating poultry chicken. It gained popularity and gradually the house rules also started to bend. And with time there were various tasty dishes with chicken. Such a delicacy is Chicken Kasha / Kasha Mangsho.

Kasha Mangsho is traditioanally cooked with goat meat / mutton, but chicken also gives it a spicy perk. In Bengal it is almost a ritual for every Bengali household to cook kasha mangsho on Sunday and eat it in the lunch/dinner time. And no bie bari menu (food served on the day of marriage ) in Bengal is complete without Kasha Mangsho. My aunt cooks it so well that all our friends and distant families have known about her credibility and in every occasion it is her rightful duty to cook the Kasha Mangso with Biriyani. :)Chicken Kasha / kasha Mangsho is a very rich and dry dish and without any hesitation and doubt its inexplicably tasty. Very often I cook it on sundays and my husband loves this Kasha Mangsho. Kasha Mangsho goes very well with just plain rice / zeera rice / naan / tandoori roti / rumali roti.

Come, lets cook Kasha Mangsho

Bengali Spicy And Dry Chicken Curry / Chicken Kasha / Kasha Mangsho
Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken
• 2 onion - slices
• 2 tomato - chopped
• 3 potatoes - halved
• 1and 1/2 cup yogurt
• 6 garlic cloves - paste
• 3 inch ginger stick - paste
• 4-5 green chilies - chopped (you can reduce or increase according to your preference)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 green cardamoms
• 2 black cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 3 inch cinnamon stick
• 3-4 bay eaves
• 1 tsp nutmeg powder
• 3-4 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 and 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 and 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 2tsp + 2tbsp. + 2tbsp. + 2 tbsp. oil
• salt

Note: Coriander leaves are not used in preparing Kasha Mangsho.

Method:

• First marinate the chicken with yogurt, salt, 2 tbsp. oil, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, nutmeg powder and lemon juice. Cover it with a lid and keep in the fridge for at least 1 to 1 and 1/ hours.
• In the mean time heat 2tsp. oil in a pan and fry the sliced onions until it starts becoming golden - brown. Put off the flame and keep aside.
• Marinate the halved potatoes with a little salt and turmeric powder.
• Now put the 2tbsp oil in the same pan. Heat it up and put the halved potatoes. Fry them for 2/3 minutes or until they start becoming golden from each sides. Take them out of the pan and keep aside.
• Now in the same oil put chicken pieces to fry them a little. Do not put the marinating paste in it.
• After 3-4 minutes turn the sides of the chicken pieces and let the other side cook for another 3-4 minutes. When its done put the fried chicken pieces in a bowl and keep aside.
• Now in the same pan add the rest of the oil and put the cumin seeds and green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Sauté for 3-4 seconds and put the already fried onion with ginger - garlic paste.
• Sauté until the raw flavour of ginger and garlic is gone and the onions have become golden brown.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook until it becomes soft and mushy.
• When the tomatoes are cooked add the marinated chicken with all the marinating paste and the fried potato pieces with salt. Mix everything properly and put cover.
• Do not put any water now because the chicken will be cooked in its own juice. Check every 3 minutes to see if the chicken has stuck to the bottom. If you see the dish has become very thick and the chicken has not been cooked yet then add a little water, not much. Then again cover and cook. This process of letting the chicken be cooked in its own juice is called "Kasha" and hence the name Kasha Mangsho. If you are using 3-4 kg of chicken then you will not need any water. But cooking with a little amount of chicken does not produce enough oil/juice to cook the chicken in itself.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Continue this process until the chicken is entirely cooked and soft and tender from inside. Put off the flame and serve hot with rice /roti. You can make the gravy a little liquid or too dry. Its your preference.