Chicken Rezala......sweet under note to a rich fragrant chicken curry.

I took a lot of pictures while I was making Chicken Rezala,so I decided to put them in a collage form to give an idea of all the things that happen to create this luxuriously delicious chicken dish that can be found in almost all restaurant menus in Kolkata.

Step 1
Marinate a pound of whole chicken cut into curry pieces in
2 tbsp of plain yogurt
1 tbsp of ground peppercorn
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
2 fresh green chilies chopped fine
Leave chicken to marinate for 20 mins.
Step 2
Boil to mid size onions or 1 big onion and make a paste of the boiled onions.
Step 3
Heat 1/4th cup ghee in a pan and add whole spices
1 Bay Leaf
2 cinnamon sticks
4-5 green cardamom
4-5 cloves
8-10 whole peppercorn
Step 4
Add the boiled onion paste to the pan when the whole spices emits a nice smell.....about 30 secs later.Cook onions for about 6-7 mins,onion will get a tinted pink color and the water will dry up.
Step 5
Add the marinated chicken and cook till chicken gets a little color and the water dries and masala emits a nice fragrance.
Step 6
Whisk 2 tbsp of sugar with 1 cup of thick yogurt.Add the sweetened yogurt to the chicken and stir
Step 7
Make a paste of soaked cashew. 1/2 cup whole cashew will become about 1/4th cup of paste and 2 tablespoons poppy seeds.Soaking the poppy seeds overnight will make a smoother paste.
Step 8
Add the cashew and poppy paste to the chicken and stir in.
Step 9
In a frying pan heat 1/4th cup of oil/ghee and lightly fry
1 cup onion rings
2 dry red chili
Step 10
Add the fried onion rings along with the oil and chili to the chicken.
Step 11
If needed add a cup of water and cover the chicken till the chicken is done and oil floats to the top.
Step 12
Add 2-3 drops of Kewra essence or rose water.

Chicken Rezala is ready to be served.

Kanch kolar kofta curry.......deep fried plantain balls in a curry.

This is again one of those special dishes that is made to compensate for the NO Non-Veg days in my house.I made this for a pot luck and it was very well received by everyone.The proportions make about 10-12 koftas.
For the Koftas
Plaintain-1 big or 2 small
Potaotes-1 medium sized
Garam masala-1 teaspoon
Green chilies-2 teaspoons(very finely sliced)
Red onions-2 tablespoons(finely chopped)
Green coriander-2 teaspoons(fine chopped)
Salt-to taste
Cornflour/All purpose flour-3 tablespoons
Oil-for frying the koftas

First cut the plantain into 2 inch pieces along with the skin, so that it can be boiled conveniently in the pressure cooker.Quarter your potatoes and boil them along with the plantain.It will take at the most 2 whistles for the plantains and potatoes to be soft for mashing up.Once they cool ,skin the potatoes and peel the plantains.Put the peeled and boiled plantains in a big bowl for mixing.Put in the skinned boiled potatoes and mash them together.Now add the garam masala,green chilies, onions,coriander and  salt. Mix well and divide equally into 10-12 portions to roll them to make balls.In a plate put the cornflour and roll the balls on the cornflour so that they are nicely coated all around.Now fry the koftas in batches in hot oil and keep aside to put them in a curry.
For the curry
Oil-4 tablespoons
Onions-1 small onion chopped up fine
Garlic-1 teaspoon grated/paste
Tomato-1 mid-sized chopped
Cumin powder-1 tablespoon
Red chili powder-1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon
Garam masala-1 teaspoon
Sugar-1 teaspoon
Water -1 cup
Ghee-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Reduce the oil that you used for frying the koftas to about 4 tablespoons.The oil will have cornflour from the koftas and will give the gravy a nice consistency.In hot oil fry the onions till golden brown.Now add garlic and fry a couple of mins more.Add the tomatoes and put in some sugar and salt to help the tomatoes soften.Once tomatoes have melted down add the cumin powder and the chili powder.Fry till oil separates then add garam masala.Give the garam masala a min then add the water tomake the gravy.Let the gravy come to a boil.Now turn off the heat and add in the fried koftas. Add the ghee on top and cover the kofta curry for 10-15 mins.You can add more water for more gravy.
The kofta curry goes great with all kinds of Indian breads-rotis,parathas.You can serve it with plian rice or pilaf too.