Bengali Chicken with Aloo (Potato) Curry

A basic traditional dish that my ammu made for me now shared with you made by me.

My first time making this recipe, I thought I would fail. My doubts came from when I was fasting at the time and everyone knows how hard it is to tweak recipes when you can't taste the food! Although I learned to trust the process and it worked out in my favour. It was similar to how my mom used to make it and it wasn't very hard if I say so myself. With just the right ingredients (and basic ones at that too), I made my ammu's Chicken with Aloo Curry and it was so tasty. This recipe can be eaten with any type of rice or any style of roti you prefer. One thing I know is that I'm definitely going to serve this up the next time I host a party at my place or bring some food to a potluck style at a friends gathering.

A quick, easy, and authentic bengali recipe that tastes like home. It's a great dish to make at home if you feel like whipping up a homemade or comforting meal.

Bengali Chicken with Aloo Curry

Yields: 4-6 servings        Prep: 15-20mins        Cook time: 1hr        Total: 1hr -1hr 30mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 lbs. of chicken (boneless or bone-in)

• 4-5 potatoes

• 3-4 yellow onions, chopped

• 2 tbsp garlic paste

• 1 tbsp ginger paste

• 2 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 1/2 tbsp cumin

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 cardamom

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 2 1/2 cups of water

• 1/2 cup of oil

• salt to taste

• 1 Tomato OPTIONAL

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop onions and potatoes and leave in a bowl until you're ready to cook. Combine garlic and ginger paste in a smaller bowl. Gather all spices and ingredients and place in small dish for easy access when cooking.

2. Pour oil into a pot and leave on medium heat and add chopped onions. Once onions start to cook through and look a bit transparent, add bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom. Let mixture simmer for approximately 4 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and ginger paste and mix. Let the pastes simmer and cook for a few minutes. Stir occasionally and allow to thicken. Next, add all remaining spices and 1/2 cup of water to the pot. This will be the base for the curry. Stir occasionally until the curry starts to thicken. 

4. Add your chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until its half cooked. 

5. Add potatoes and 1 1/2 cup of water. Continue to stir and cook the curry for 7-10 minutes or until the water has reduced and thickened just a bit. The curry is done when the potatoes are soft and the chicken is cooked through. 

6. OPTIONAL: You can add tomatoes just towards the end with the potatoes if you want a bit of a tangy flavour. It doesn't really change the flavour profile that much.

7. Once everything is cooked through, serve with some rice, roti, salad and a bit of achar if you want a pickled side dish and ENJOY!

Make sure to TAG ME @sarmin.begum on Instagram and TikTok if you decide to re-create my recipes. I'd love to see how this recipe turn out for you guys! And let me know what other content you'd like me to post on here. xo