CURRY AND SPICE: DOI CURRY PATA MURGI

Monday, 23 September 2019

DOI CURRY PATA MURGI

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

Nostalgia takes me down memory lane all the time. Our friend from Mumbai who visited us last night was telling 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's self in silence, then one day you reach a point where you can set your life free. I was enjoying his talks. He and my husband are childhood buddies, eventually his wife too became such dear in her own right. All three of them differ on their take on life but they bond over certain things. Where do I stand in between them? I keep learning, taking ideas from better people. Because I lack patience, I fail to apply them in real life scenario. None of us siblings are go getters. I had 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, stagnate. When you feel "I am happy with where I am, I need not work anymore to be better," you are dead actually. Hope son gives me good reason to live, hope immensely hard working husband get some rest soon.... 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 keen about going on and on today as I usually do. I am still soaking in "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" / temper 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, that "I keep my entire being at your feet my loving spouse" kind of attitude. I ignore his temper in him that is by inheritance, 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 telling me "the person is genuine." I am like "tui chartey iyarki-moja korey beriye jabi, ami to shara jibon dhorey jhelchi".... it's 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 equals good food, for Bengalis festive food cannot be vegetarian.

Anyway, if you want to avoid outside food during 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 side completes it. You can see I have used less amount of ingredients while cooking this chicken curry with only 2-3 tbsp of oil. What is more important to me while cooking chicken or mutton is marinating the meat for quite sometime, 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 chicken thoroughly, drain water. Marinate with little salt, 2tbsp of lemon juice for 1/2 an hour.

In grinder, add washed curry leaves, green chillies.

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