Bangladeshi Biyebarir Murgir Roast

Having read many Mughlai recipes...I find this particular Bangladeshi Specialty of Murgir Roast, which is served mostly in marriage ceremonies, typically resembling a lot with Murgh Noorjahani. Murgh Noorjahani is a Mughlai Chicken preparation loaded with nuts and sultanas.

So...if I am not very wrong, this particular Bangladeshi delicacy is super influenced from that Mughlai recipe. As a Bengali touch, this recipe uses sweet curd (which I did not use) and khoya. But mughlai or Bangladeshi...this curry is pure sin. Rich, aromatic, lush and nothing but fine indulgence. Do not skip that yellow saffron colour part...that gives a nice visual touch to the entire dish.

Heat oil / ghee and add the onion to them.

Fry the onions until golden - brown and then spread them on a paper towel.

Fry the pieces of chicken in the reamining oil /ghee until a little coloured and then add the ginger - garlic paste, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and yellow food colour. 

Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the fried onions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions and chicken pieces are nicely mish-mashed.

Add whisked curd and cook util all the moisture is evaporated. Add water and 2 tsp of the prepared masala. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked.

Add greated / crumbled khoya.

Add the cashew nuts and sultanas / raisins.

Add cashew nuts paste, roase water, kewra water and cream.

Simmer until the curry thickens and finish off with a little more of the ground spice sprinkled on top of the curry.

Bangladeshi Biyebarir Murgir Roast

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken on bone / 8 chicken leg pieces

3 onions – sliced

8 cloves of garlic – paste / minced

1 inch ginger – paste / minced

1 cup thick yogurt

10 unsalted cashew nuts

6-7 u unsalted cashew nuts and 8-10 raisins of sulatanas for making paste

A handful of raisins / sultanas

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp red chilli powder

A pinch of yellow food colour diluted in ¼ cup of water

½ cup khoya / evaporated milk

½ cup thick cream

2 tsp rose water

1 and ½ tsp kewra water

Salt

½ cup ghee

For the spice mix:

2 green cardamoms

2 cloves

1 small cinnamon stick

1 tsp sha jeera / caraway seeds

1 blade of mace

A little piece of nutmeg

5 whole black peppercorns

5 whole white peppercorns

Method:

Make a smooth paste of the whole cashew nuts and raisins with a little water.

Lightly dry roast the whole spices listed under the masala section and grind them to a fine powder. Keep them in an airtight container and use accordingly.

Heat the ghee and fry the sliced onions until golden brown and crisp.

Once done take them out of the kadai and spread them on a paper towel.

Add some more ghee if required and shallow fry the chicken pieces into them until lightly the pieces become lightly golden from both the sides.

Now add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, food colour, salt and sugar. Mix well so that the chicken pieces are nicely coated with them.

Cook on low to medium flame for 5 minutes or until the oil starts to separate.

Add the fried onions and ginger – garlic paste. Mix them again.

Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the onions and the chicken pieces are nicely mish-mashed with each other and then add the whisked curd.

Mix and cook until all the moisture evaporated.

Add 1 cup of water.

Sprinkle 2 tsp of the spice mix and give a good stir.

Put cover and let the chicken cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked. Do stir every 3-5 minutes so that nothing can stick to the bottom of the pan.

When the chicken is almost cooked, pour the cashew and raisins paste and thick cream.

Mix them well and then throw in the crumbled khoya, rose water, kewra water, unsalted halved cashews and raisins.

Gently mix them and put cover.

Cook on medium flame for 5 minutes more.

Open the lid and simmer until the gravy thickens and the oil starts to float on top of it.

Sprinkle 1 tsp of the masala over the curry and put off the flame.

Serve hot with pulao / Biriyani with some more crumbled khoya, chopped cashew nuts, slivered almonds and raisins on top of it.