Kasundi Murgi / Chicken in a Bengali Mustard based Gravy

My grandmother aka “didu” used to have a large bottle of Kasundi always in her fridge. She paired that with her saag / greens or fries and kasundi was mandatory with cutlets or kabiraji, that “dadu” sometimes brought home. I loved kasundi for its tangy taste. Yummm...!!

Sometimes in the warm afternoons or summer, we made a spicy mix with raw green mangoes, black salt, dried red chilli powder and a lot of kasundi. Sweet and sour mangoes with a little heat from the chillies and sizzle from the kasundi, Kanch Aam Makha is something I still miss. In the end, we ended up with super-sensitive teeth which gave us shivers while cleaning our mouth with water. It was only later that I found you can also cook with kasundi.

Kasundi Murgi is a super tangy and sizzling spicy curry with a thin curry. Superlike!!

Kasundi Murgi / Chicken in a Bengali Mustard based Gravy

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken on bone

½ cup thick yogurt

3 tbsp kasundi

6 garlic cloves – minced

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt

2 tbsp mustard oil

A handful of fresh coriander leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add the chicken pieces to them.

Sprinkle some salt and sear the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes or until they are nicely golden.

Add the garlic paste and stir to mix.

Cook for a minute or two.

Switch the flame to low and add the whisked yogurt, kasundi, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.

Stir to mix everything properly.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Open the lid and add 2 cups of water.

Cover and continue cooking until the chicken pieces are fork tender.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Simmer until the gravy thickens and the oil starts to separate.

Finish off with some freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Switch off the flame and serve hot with some plain hot rice.