Kosha Murgir Mangsho / Bengali Chicken Kosha

One of the true blue Bengali delicacy "Chicken Kosha" requires time and patience to achieve it's final and best taste and flavour. "Kosha" is a typical Bengali technique of cooking where the ingredients are stirred and cooked with spices on low flame until the oil starts to seperate. One of my husband's favourite this chicken curry makes regular appearance on our dining table and we relish it with rice in the lunch and paratha or naan in the dinner.

Just like every regional Indian cuisine...every house has it's own recipe in Bengal as well. And it's no different for the Chicken Kosha. The recipe I am sharing here is my grand mother's and it has never failed to impress us and our taste buds!!

Kosha Murgir Mangsho / Bengali Chicken Kosha 
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken on bone (cut into medium large pieces)

2 large onions – finely chopped

2 large tomatoes – finely chopped

1 cup of yogurt

8 garlic cloves

2 and ½ inch of ginger root

1 and ½ tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tsp red chilli powder

1 and ½ tsp cumin powder

1 and ½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp homemade garam masala

4 green cardamoms

1 large cinnamon stick

3 large bay leaves

4-5 cloves

1 and ½ cup of pure virgin mustard oil

A bunch of chopped coriander leaves

2 tbsp pure desi ghee

1 tbsp green chilli paste

4 large potatoes – peeled and cut into halves

Method:

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken with the yogurt (whisked well to a smooth no-lumps consistency before adding to the chicken), salt, half of the ginger-garlic paste, green chilli paste and ½ tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Leave the marinade for at least 2 hours inside the fridge.

In the mean time heat the mustard oil and fry the onions until they become golden brown.

When they are ready take them out of the oil and keep aside in a plate or bowl.

In the same oil fry the potatoes until they become golden from both the sides. Then take them out of the kadai and keep aside in a bowl.

Cooking:

Lightly pound the green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick in a mortar and pestle.

Heat the mustard oil in a kadai and add the pounded whole spices and the bay leaves to it.

Saute until the oil becomes aromatic and then add the ginger-garlic paste to it.

Fry the paste for a minute or until the raw garlic flavour is gone.

Then add the fried onions to them and cook for a minute.
Add tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes become pulpy with the oil seperating at the edges. This will take 5-7 minutes .

Add the marinated chicken pieces and the rest of the powder spices i.e. turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Stir and cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes or until you see the masala becoming thick and emitting a nice roasting smell. We call this “koshano”,which is the source of the name of this dish “kosha mangsho”.

Switch the flame to low now and cover the kadai.
Add the potatoes to the chicken, when the chicken pieces are half done.

Cook on low flame for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken and the potatoes are fork tender.

Check after every 7-10 minutes and give them a stir to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the kadai. If the curry becomes dry before the chicken is cooked through add a cup of water to continue the cooking.

When the chicken and the potatoes are perfectly cooked, open the lid and simmer on medium flame until the curry becomes thick and clingy on the chicken pieces and the oil starts to float on top of the curry.

Add the ghee, homemade garam masala and chopped coriander leaves, and close the lid again.

Switch off the flame and serve immediately.

Enjoy with rice, chapatti, paratha, pulao or biryani!!