PEPE ALOO MURGIR JHOL

  

A RECIPE THAT OF MEAT; SHOULD I OR I SHOULD NOT?

For the past few hours I am in this dilemma! Midmorning, the sad news of the demise of a close family member arrived! Mukul Kaku had been a fatherly figure; T's uncle from the father's side to be precise! I was unable to decide, that's when I remember Kaku had been an active member of the leftist party in his younger days, Kakima too was as I have heard! Then why cannot I celebrate him with a chicken recipe, that too with the one that our mother cook in our family home? I would keep blogging until the moment I can keep my calm! Kaku left us at 74, our father too! In fact, Kakima was more of sick! Last year April, I met them last! Kaku indeed loved his nephew, also our son he would visit when he was young! Kakima never took a side when I moved to a separate home! I think he was an honest gentleman, majorly lacking one thing! He spoke too less & never did smile! I do not know if he laughed & played with his granddaughter or not! I believe the ailing Kakima would be taken good care of by their only daughter! I remember how her skeletal self would take an "autorey" to my place at Ashogarh, then again take a rickshaw to my in-law's place! I found T's father to be extremely calm today, my belief got firmer that it is wrong to expect the males to be excessively strong! What is right is to express our pain or happiness whenever we feel like; it calms our body & mind; it is 100% natural & okay to feel weak & awkward!

YESTERDAY WAS ANOTHER NORMAL DAY!

Cristine went off, the son did not take our call and we were upset as usual! When T is upset, he would frown at me! I wish for an outlet for this, there is either a sports channel or crime series playing on the television that I do not want! I keep telling Bossy, let us go out, roam around the parks, eat some humble food & head back home by the evening! That would disturb his whiskey & wine sessions, hence he refuses! Because I understand how taxing a week long work life can be & how precious a weekend rest is for them, I do not make any noise! I fully utilise the week days roaming around alone! Not everyone would have a spouse to help upgrading the blog or help making food videos for people like me who are not technically sound! Yesterday, around 12 pm, I dragged him to the mall opposite, I wished to change the living room curtains! I got the lunch for us! He wished for a chicken rice. I spent 15-20 minutes to decide what to eat, I ate perhaps from most of the eateries! I bought that spaghetti & Japanese curry packet to cook for myself! I am ferociously against heat & ready to eat packets, once in a while I may! The taste of the spaghetti was good, thick curries full of sauce & cornflour is not my thing!

In the evening, we found out the curtain size may not match, I ran to the mall to change; they told they can refund if the card purchased with can be brought; I dragged again the unwilling T! This comfort I would not get back in Kolkata! Okay, our Kolkata flat is near to everything & the city centre-2 but this island has a mall with almost every mrt station! Then, there are people who do not like it, we felt the son has no issue there with shops & residence lying far apart! Anyway, Last night I made some multigrain atta poori & we had them with "cholar dal"!

This afternoon I did what you see below! That pot I got from the mother-in-law's collection but the water licks from it, I planted another Tulsi plant I found downstairs; this I would pray as Tulsi Maiya; the big one should be my source of the leaves required for the prayer! Earlier I had two, one manch & one in a tub! I read somewhere it is not good to have two! Also my manch spoilt! Prejudices kill you know!

Today's lunch was this; porota, begun pora makha & churma made from the stale millet breads I made last week! Yes, there was onion in my food, but from tonight I would arrange vegetarian food for the two of us, the next fifteen days we should! Kaku was an atheist, T is, his father is but I think there is no wrong showing some respect to the dead soul as per the Hindu ritual!

WHAT IS THIS PEPE ALOO MURGIR JHOL?

I believe, Bengali Homes that came out of the rigidity of not allowing chicken in their kitchens, needed a variety of chicken recipes keeping the essence of the curry as "jhol", "robibar er mangshor jhol"! I have seen this meat curry in other blogger friend's space! I do not know about their home but in our home such a curry may had been need based! We refused to have vegetables! Adding vegetables to a meat curry was definitely a smart idea of the mothers! For many decades; our Sunday menu had been the simplest; a "shaak bhaja" & mutton or chicken curry! Later, the parents did not fancy meat much, specially chicken, they cooked fish for themselves for lunch! At dinner, they would have one or two pieces of meat with garma garam chapatis! On a Sunday night, flatbread was a must in our home to go with a meat curry! This gluten-free meat curry PEPE ALOO MURGIR JHOL; i.e. chicken curry with raw papaya & potatoes was done often in our home! I loved the thin curry base of it! Today, I feel whenever Cristine would take a leave & go home, I would cook a mixed vegetables & meat stew desi style & have with rice or roti! Bengali curries are best to my taste, light yet with the right note of heat & spice! Okay, "nihari" & "suruya" as per the description of Molla Nasiruddin are quite enticing!

INGREDIENTS :

CHICKEN : 1 KG

RAW PAPAYA : A SMALL SIZED

POTATO : 2 BIG

ONION : 2 STANDARD SIZED

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

GARLIC PASTE : 2 TBSP

GINGER PASTE : 2 TSP

CUMIN POWDER : 1 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER : 2 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 2 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1-2

CLOVE : 3-4

GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4

CINNAMON STICK : 3-4 HALF INCH 

LEMON JUICE : 2-3 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 4-5 TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

Peel the papaya skin, slice off the inner layer holding the seeds, wash & cut in to bigger cubes! Peel off the potatoes, wash & cut each in to four pieces! Wash again & marinate with the salt & turmeric. Do this step only 10 minutes before adding to the wok, else they may turn black!

Wash & marinate the chicken with enough salt for an hour! Wash off with water thoroughly! This step gets rid of the unwanted raw smell! Marinate with some salt & turmeric, half of the red chilli powder & lemon juice for an hour!

Cut off the two ends, peel and slice the onions! Wash them well! Heat the oil in the wok & temper with the green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks & the bayleaves!

Add the onions & fry at low heat until light brown!

Earlier I had mixed together the ginger & garlic pastes+1/2 tbsp red chilli+cumin+coriander+1tsp turmeric powders & some salt with a tbsp of water! We would add the spice paste to the wok & stir fry it for 3-4 minutes at low heat!

We would add the marinated chicken with all of the marinade, fold in well & stir fry for 5 minutes at medium heat! We would reduce the heat to minimal & cover cook for 15-20 minutes!

We would remove the cover & add the marinated raw papaya & potato cubes; fold in well & cover! We would cover cook in minimal heat for 10-12 minutes!

We would remove the cover & add 2 coffee mugs of warm water, adjust the salt & let boil at low heat for 7-8 minutes, covered! We should be done!

This curry goes pretty well with both rice & chapati!