CURRY AND SPICE: DOI CURRY PATA MURGI

Do you remember I have already blogged about the rice main dish MIXED NUT AND DRIED VEGETABLE TOMATO RICE with which I served this simply made chicken dish DOI CURRY PATA MURGI with? For some reason or the other, blogging about this yummy non vegetarian meat side did not happen or was I waiting for the eve of Durga Puja? Whatever, we do not eat "ghaspus" during our biggest festival. I told you several time that my parental home is kind of peculiar who have vegetarian food all the three main days of the Durga Puja, does a "jatra with puti maach" on the Dashomi morning and then gets home fish. Us siblings rebelled and ate non vegetarian food outside or at the maternal grandparent's home so long we had spent our entire puja vacation there. I have seen the best "Rajbari & Bonedi Barir Pujo" in my life.

A kind of severe nostalgia is taking me down the memory lane all the time. Our friend from Mumbai who visited us last night was telling that whenever you feel low, just think how wonderful it is to live, to be able to breathe till date. He told there is nothing called meditation as such, it is just spending some time each day with one self in silence, then one day you reach a point where you can set your life free. I was so enjoying his talks. He and my husband are childhood buddies, eventually his wife too became so dear in her own right. All of them three so differ on their take on life but they bond over certain things. Where do I stand in between them, I keep learning and taking ideas from the better people. Because I lack patience, I so fail to apply them in a real life scenario. None of us siblings are go getter achievers. I had so many dreams surrounding him, he took no initiative to fulfil them. A class would have only one topper, the rest have to sweat to get the coveted bejewelled chair, no point standing at one place and stagnate. When you feel "I am happy with where I am, I need not work anymore to be better," you are dead actually. Hope the son gives me some reason to live, hope the immensely hard working husband get some rest sooner.... though I do not wish to go and stay in Kolkata any sooner... I wish to praise it from at far.

I am not really too keen on going on and on today as I usually do. I am still soaking in the "adda-shadda" fervour of yesterday, the friend's pranks on my husband is what lifts up my spirits, I join in and ask him how to extract the "mejaj" from my husband's body, I ask every wise person about it. I think my father-in-law roams around with the same question, but I lack his wisdom, patience and that "I keep my entire being at your feet my loving spouse" kind of attitude. So, I ignore the worse in him that is by inheritance and live my life my way, God after all has given me a genuine being to live with who also have accepted me with all my flaws. This particular friend keeps on telling me "the person is genuine." I am like "tui chartey iyarki-moja korey beriye jabi, ami to shara jibon dhorey jhelchi".... its tough man, admit it. So, I went to sleep around 12:15 am earlier today not because I was feeling sleepy, then why? If I do not take leave, how will they start with their kind of discussions.... we must respect relationships, their individual spaces..... "who means how much to whom?" to understand this is important. Like which event is more important to a hardcore Bengali like me at this moment? The answer is one shot.... Durga Puja! Durga Puja is equal to good food and for Bengalis festive food cannot be vegetarian unless the fascists around forces it on us sooner. I do not know if a gun is targetted me at a point blank range, what I would sing.... "ulto shur?" Anyway, if you want to avoid outside food during the festive season just for hygiene concerns, you can prepare this wholesome meal platter with DOI CURRY PATA MURGI & MIXED NUT AND DRIED VEGETABLE TOMATO RICE, a salad on the side completes it. You can see I have used very less amount of ingredients while cooking this chicken curry in only 2-3tbsp of oil. What is more important to me while cooking chicken or mutton is marinating the meat for quite sometime and then slow cooking it over a longer period.

INGREDIENTS :

CHICKEN : 1KG [MEDIUM CUT]
CURRY LEAF : 20-25, A HANDFUL OF
PLAIN YOGURT : 1SMALL SIZED TEA CUP
ONION : 1BIG
GREEN CHILLI : 6-7
GINGER PASTE : 1TSP
GARLIC PASTE : 11/2TBSP
GARAM MASALA : 1TSP
LEMON JUICE : 1/2 MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
BLACK PEPPER POWDER : 1TSP [FRESH & COARSELY GROUND
OIL : 2-3TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash the chicken thoroughly and drain the water. Marinate with little salt and 2tbsp of lemon juice for 1/2 an hour.

In the grinder add the washed curry leaves and green chillies.

Blend it to a smooth paste. Open cover and add the onion pieces that we get from peeling, washing and cutting the large onion. I also added the ginger + garlic paste that I had prepared earlier.