Bengali Style Chicken Stew

A very comforting and hearty stew with chicken and veggies using minimum spices was created for Britishers served with buttered toast during British rule in Kolkata, India. Later, Bengali tweaked it adding some aromatics and spices to suit their liking. However, this is not a spice laden stew and it still has an English touch and mostly served with buttered or plain toast. This delicious hearty stew with bone in chicken, fresh veggies need very basic pantry ingredients that comes together in an hour or less. It's a great way to serve protein and veggies together as an one dish meal to the family all year round. This Bengali style Chicken Stew must not be confused with Bengali Chicken Curry which is made with just potatoes and all most same spices but yellowish in color and medium thick spicy gravy.  

Two Simple Potato Curries

Once upon a time we ate carbohydrate rich food for breakfast or lunch or dinner almost everyday without thinking twice about calorie. We never knew calorie counting back then. We were very active all the time, went to school by walking, played well in the alley or open space, visited friend’s house by walking and we did so many fun outdoor activities. So whatever we consumed easily got  burned out. Life style has changed now. Watching carbohydrate is very important these days for us. I am not saying giving up any of our favorite food but enjoying once in a blue moon. I don’t make just potato curries very often. They are so special that I we can enjoy with roti just for one meal then no carbohydrate for other meals during the day. It balances out pretty good and it satisfies our craving without feeling guilty.

ChyaNchra/Mixed Vegetable Mismash with Fish Head

Bengalis are fish lovers and they are not averse to eat most part of fish except for scales and fins. A mixed vegetables and fish head mishmash is a special dish known as ChyaNchra made in almost every Bengali household and Bengali ceremony like weddings or annoprashon(baby's first rice eating ceremony)for lunch. Fish stakes are prepared into a delicious main dish at formal dinner in the actual ceremony and fish heads need to be used up somehow; so this famous dish got created with vegetables, fish heads, oils and gills with some spices. This recipe has been passed down for generations in Bengali households and it tastes insanely delicious! It's a delicacy we grew up with but unfortunately it's not that much appreciated dish among younger generation anymore. 

Water Spinach Mishmash/Kalmishaker Ghonto

Veggies are my all time favorites. I never get board of eating veggie dishes. Bengali or other Indian regional cuisines make immense variety of seasonal veggie dishes so many different ways with different spices, be it stir-fry with minimal spices, cooked in mildly spiced gravy or dry type. This water spinach curry with mixed vegetables gently spiced with ginger is slightly time consuming but it is worth the effort to have variety of vegetables all together in one dish. It can be served with steamed rice or roti. I learned it from one of my friend's mom who is originally from Dhaka in erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh.  

Hilsha with Taro, Eggplant and Amaranth Stems

A lightly spiced soupy type Hilsa curry with eggplant, small taro and amaranth stems is nothing but one of the simplest yet tastiest one dish meal with plain simple rice that I learned from one of my maternal cousins whose paternal family belongs to Faridpur district of Bangladesh. It's a popular Hilsha curry in my cousin's household during the rainy season when Hilshas are very abundant. Most Hilsha curries are tempered with nigella seeds, but a tempering of celery seeds in this recipe makes the difference and it turns out so darn delicious.

Avial/Aviyal

Being a foodie I love to prepare different regional cuisines of India often. Recently I tried Avial/Aviyal for the first time, a signature Keralite mixed veggie medley and it turned out delicious. I think this is the easiest curry I had ever made. No sauteing required. It's just boiled veggies, then spiced coconut mixture mixed with yogurt and tempered whole spices in coconut oil stirred in the curry. Nothing can't be more easier that this one! 

Shorshe Murgi/Mustard Chicken Curry

This is an exiting yet very forgiving recipe! Bengalis love curries made with freshly ground mustard paste mostly with variety of fish and seafood. Unlike fish and seafood, I never tested Mustard Chicken Curry while growing up; in fact it was not popular back then. When I became a full-fledged home chef after moving to US, I started exploring so many new dishes  either I heard from others or saw in the magazine. The first time I thought of trying chicken curry with mustard paste, I knew it would taste great. Indeed it produced a lip smacking pungent, spicy and bit tangy chicken curry that goes well with rice and sometimes I love to pair with Gondhoraj Pulao and Ghee Bhat.

Goalondo Chicken Curry

Goalondo or Goalundo Ghat on the southern bank of the Padma river was the last railway station during British era (erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh) from Kolkata-Dhaka route established by the Eastern Bengal Railway where travelers would continue their over night journey by steamer service from Goalondo Ghat to reach Narayanganj railway station to catch the train for preferred destination. The boatman of the steamer would cook a simplest chicken curry for the travelers with country chicken and limited ingredients resulting in a wonderfully rustic, gorgeously fiery colored and very unique flavored curry served with plain steamed rice. And that is how famous chicken curry got its name Goalando Chicken Curry or Goalando Steamer Chicken Curry. 

Sabur Khichuri/Tapioca Pearl Mishmash

Sabur Khichuri is another comforting meal in Bengali households especially during Durga Pooja. People who observe fasting for any Hindu ritual, consume grain free pure vegetarian Satvik food afterwards. Bengali Sabur Khichuri is very different than Sabudana Khichdi from other states of India which is dry type. This one uses roasted mung bean along with veggies like cauliflower, potato, carrot, peas, green beans and peas etc.This no onion and no garlic recipe. The aroma of the roasted mung bean and the sauteed veggies with spices takes me down to memory lane. It tastes divine as is. You can always add fried eggplant, Papad and sweet chutney with it! Try this Sabur Khichuri. This is absolute one dish wonder whether fasting or not. 

Omelette and Potato Curry In Bengali Style

Egg curry is served as a main dish with rice or flat bread in many regional styles in the Indian households, especially when there is not enough grocery left, not felling like cooking but takeout food from restaurant is not an option. Egg in various curries, be it boiled, steamed, scrambled or omelette, is always to the rescue. Egg curry is more affordable protein than fish or meat and a quick fix meal solution to lunch or dinner with minimal ingredients. What more could you ask for?

Green Chili Chicken Curry in Bengali Style

Have you ever cooked chicken curry with tomatillo? I make Green Chili Chicken Curry using this foreign fruit/vegetable in Bengali style and it turns out absolutely irresistible. It is a nice change from gorom mashala flavor and tomato based chicken curry. It's hearty and flavorful curry inspired by Mexican Chicken Chile Verde with roasted tomatillos, Indian spices, Thai chilies, onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro. I love its tangy flavor and beautiful green color with the addition of fresh blended cilantro/coriander leaves at the end.  

Doi Murgi/Chicken in Yogurt Sauce

A traditional Bengali chicken curry with full of finesse simmered in a flavorful yogurt based gravy. It's a wonderful amalgamation of tangy yogurt, aromatic spices, ginger-garlic, caramelized onion and the pungent mustard oil. The nice color of the curry from sweet paprika, fresh red chili and turmeric is a perfect feast for the eyes and the flavorful curry will surely satisfy the taste buds. 

Palak Aloo/Stir Fried Spinach Potato

Simple stir-fried spinach-potato dish is comforting that requires lots of spinach, green peas, some diced potato, onion and garlic. Lots of green goodness has huge nutrition value. I use baby spinach leaves but big ones are also fine. Potatoes are cooked till 90 % done then I stir fry spinach leaves until they wilt and incorporate with potato well. This method keeps spinach green. I serve it alongside lentil and rice, or just with hand roti. Very easy and satisfying vegan meal. 

Amish Alur Dom/Potato Curry with Onion-Garlic Gravy

This is a classic Bengali Amish Alur Dom(potato curry) smothered with onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and spices cooked on Dom method/slow fire with the lid on. Amish in Bengali vegetarian dishes use onion and garlic. There is an another pure vegetarian(no onion-no garlic) version I shared to serve with Kachuri (fried stuffed bread) and Luchi(Bengali fried white bread). 

Neem Shukto/Neem Leaves and Mixed Vegetable Medley

Neem leaves and mix vegetable medley from Bengal is a humble beginning for lunch with plain rice. The right of mixture of neem leaves and other vegetables with minimal spices give an excellent palate cleansing dish to have it with plain rice or just a bowl of itself is so satisfying. This dish is very wholesome with subtle flavor. Neem leaves are much more bitter than bitter melon. So the concoction of neem leaves and mix vegetables must be balanced carefully. If the dish ends up too bitter it may not be pleasurable at all.

Alu Palok Dom/Potato-Spinach Curry

We love varieties of Alur Dom. This Alu Palok Dom in a delicious spicy spinach gravy pairs well with roti for simple lunch or dinner and with Loochi or Paratha for special occasion. When we crave for something comforting and easy to cook but wholesome, Alu Palok Curry comes to the rescue with the goodness of greens. It's an easy to make Bengali style without onion-garlic and it tastes as good as it looks! 

Chana Paloker Dalna/Bengali Style Cheese and Spinach Curry

Chanar Dalna in its new avatar, very wholesome, delicious and easy to put together. I got a lot of fresh spinach and some home made chana/panner stored in the refrigerator for a while. So I made this one simple Chana Paloker Dalna with lots of green goodness to savor with aromatic brown basmati rice, similar to its North Indian counterpart Palak-Paneer Kofta. This may not be a traditional Bengali dish but I made it in an authentic Bengali manner.

Spicy Chickpea Curry/Choley Masala

This Chickpea Curry is easy, hearty and filling dish with full of spicy curry flavor without making it too spicy served as a wholesome meal with simple Indian flat bread for lunch or dinner. It’s easy to prepare with simple pantry ingredients. Chickpeas is a great source of plant protein, fiber,vitamin and iron. I like preparing the beans at home. It's time consuming but it's worth the effort. I soak overnight and boil it in a pressure cooker until 2-3 whistles instead of boiling in a pan that takes way longer time to cook. 

Black Eyed Peas Curry

I love Black Eyed Peas in salad, stew and curry. I make this hearty curry with fully plant-based ingredients, so flavorful and tasty to be paired with Indian flat bread, plain rice, quinoa or as is. This wholesome gravy based curry made with onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and some dry aromatic spices. Black eyed peas are also known as Cowpeas, Lobia (in North India) and Ramakolai(in Bankura district,West Bengal). It melts in mouth, full of nutrients, fiber and protein rich. There are many variations to this curry and I make it simply Bengali way. It's very colorful, tasty and comforting dish.  

Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta is a very famous North Indian savory fried cheese dish either sphere or cylindrical shaped, dunked in a rich, velvety and creamy gravy. This is a tomato, onion-ginger-garlic, cashew paste and some flavorful ground spices based gravy and finished off with dairy cream and dried kashuri methi leaves and garam mashala.