Bengali Rooster Curry | The Curry Man

What Is Sylheti Rooster Curry?

Sylheti hen curry is any conventional Bengali hen curry from the Sylhet area of Bangladesh. Like many curries, they’re made with a mix of onions, garlic, ginger, and spices like turmeric, coriander, and cumin. One ingredient that always units a Sylheti hen curry other than different Bengali curries is the inclusion of shatkora, a big citrus fruit that grows abundantly in Sylhet.

The addition of shatkora brings an unmistakable bitter, barely bitter, and floral flavour to the curry, which completely balances the richness of hen and spices. This isn’t the type of tang you’d get from lemon or lime. It’s deeper, extra advanced, and uniquely Sylheti.

For Sylheti households, this bengali hen curry is greater than only a meal; it’s a style of house. Within the Bangladeshi diaspora, particularly within the UK, the place Sylheti migrants make up a big a part of the Bangladeshi neighborhood, shatkora curries are celebrated as consolation meals cherished by all generations, younger and outdated.

What’s Shatkora? The Secret Sylheti Ingredient

Shatkora is a citrus fruit native to Sylhet and belongs to the pomelo household. It has a thick, bumpy rind and is often cooked relatively than eaten uncooked. The rind, not simply the pulp, is what brings its signature bitterness and fragrance to curries.

Exterior Sylhet, recent shatkora might be arduous to search out, however frozen or jarred variations can be found in lots of Bangladeshi or South Asian grocery shops, particularly in areas with a powerful Sylheti neighborhood.

When cooked slowly in curry, shatkora infuses the sauce with a pointy, citrusy depth that elevates the dish past an unusual Bengali hen curry. It’s a kind of elements that really defines Sylheti delicacies.

Variations of Sylheti Rooster Curry

• Beef or Lamb with Shatkora: In Sylhet, shatkora is usually paired with beef or lamb, which rise up fantastically to its daring citrus notes. These variations are richer and sometimes cooked for longer. You may strive my Sylheti Shatkora Beef recipe right here.
• Fish Curry with Shatkora: A regional favorite. Shatkora enhances freshwater fish like rohu or hilsa, including tang and reducing via the oiliness. Do this Shatkora fish workers curry!
• Vegetarian Shatkora Curry: Potatoes, lentils, or aubergines can be utilized as a substitute of meat.
• Shatkora with Duck: Duck is one other conventional pairing, significantly throughout festive events. Its fatty meat contrasts with the sharp citrus.

Helpful Tools for Bengali hen curry

Spice grinder (non-obligatory): In the event you desire to toast and grind entire spices for optimum freshness.

Heavy-bottomed pan or kadai: Important for even cooking and to stop spices from burning. That is helpful not simply on this Bengali hen curry however any gradual cooked curry.

Sharp knife and durable chopping board: To chop the hen and slice onions thinly.

Picket spoon or ladle: For stirring with out damaging your pan.

Storage and Reheating

Like many curries, this Bengali hen curry tastes even higher the following day because the flavours meld.

Refrigeration: Retailer cooled curry in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.

Freezing: You may freeze the curry for as much as 3 months. If utilizing recent shatkora, observe that freezing could barely change the feel of the rind, although the flavour will stay.

Reheating: Gently reheat over low warmth, including a splash of water if the sauce has thickened. You may also place the curry in your microwave and warmth it briefly bursts, stirring usually till scorching.

Components

Recent elements are key to getting one of the best flavour from this Bengali hen curry recipe. You’ll discover the elements listed under, whereas the exact quantities are supplied within the recipe card on the finish of the web page. For ease of cooking, make sure you get all of your elements ready and prepared earlier than you begin cooking.

See recipe card for portions.

• Shatkora rinds
• Ghee
• Mustard Oil
• Dried Kashmiri Chillies
• Cinnamon Stick
• Black cardamom pods
• Onions
• Inexperienced finger chillies
• Garlic
• Garlic and ginger paste
• Kashmiri chilli powder
• Floor cumin
• Floor coriander
• Floor turmeric
• Passata
• Rooster thighs
• Potatoes
• Garam masala
• Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• Salt to style

Step-by-step pictures

Under, you’ll see step-by-step pictures to information you thru the recipe. On the backside of the web page, you’ll additionally discover the complete recipe card, which incorporates the entire checklist of elements and written directions in a simple, printable format.

1. Step 1: Wash and the slice the rinds of the shatkora. The flavour it fairly bitter and sharp. Some folks like bigger items however should you’re unsure, reduce them smaller.

2. Step 2: Warmth the oil and ghee in a deep frying pan or pot over a medium excessive warmth. When the oil and ghee soften and start to shimmer, stir within the dried Kashmiri chillies, black cardamom pods and cinnamon persist with infuse for a couple of minute.

3. Step 3: Add the onions and fry for about 8 minutes or till golden brown. Then stir within the garlic and ginger paste, garlic cloves and chopped chillies.

4. Step 4: Add the bottom spices and hen to the pan and stir nicely to coat the hen with every thing within the pan.

5. Step 5: Add the passata and shatkora rinds together with simply sufficient water to cowl and produce to a simmer.

6. Step 6: Cowl the curry with a lid and let simmer over a low warmth for about 20 minutes.

7. Step 7: About 20 minutes into the cook dinner, stir within the potatoes and push them proper into the sauce to cook dinner via.

8. Step 8: Proceed simmering the curry to scale back and thicken the sauce. You are able to do this lined over a low to medium warmth or pace issues up and cook dinner, uncovered over a medium warmth.

9. Step 9: When your potatoes and meat are cooked via and tender, stir within the kasoori methi, garam masala and add salt to style.

10. Step 10: Serve scorching with rice, naans and/or chapatis. In the event you add extra potato, this Bengali hen curry might be served by itself with no sides.

Professional Suggestions

Do not rush the shatkora: Shatkora is finest whenever you enable it to cook dinner low and gradual till the rinds are tender. Powerful rinds simply aren’t very good.

Stability Bitterness: The shatkora on this recipe is usually a bit bitter in addition to bitter. In the event you discover your curry is just too bitter, you’ll be able to add a little bit of sugar to style which ought to repair the problem.

Relaxation earlier than serving: Let the curry sit for 10–quarter-hour off the warmth earlier than consuming. This helps the flavours come collectively.

FAQ

Serve this Sylheti hen curry with one other common curry. These are all very good!

Pairing

These are my favourite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:

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Yield: 6

Bengali Rooster Curry

This conventional Bengali hen curry is very easy to arrange and tastes out of this world wonderful. It’s a recipe from the Sylheti area of Bangladesh which makes use of shatkora, a tart fruit that provides the curry a singular and scrumptious flavour.

Prep Time
quarter-hour

Cook dinner Time
45 minutes

Whole Time
1 hour

Components

• 250g (about 1/2 cup) thinly sliced shatkora rinds
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 3 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
• 3 black cardamom pods, flippantly crushed
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3 inexperienced finger chillies
• 10 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1 to 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tbsp floor cumin
• 1 tbsp floor coriander
• 1 tsp floor turmeric
• 200g passata
• 700g hen thighs, reduce into chew
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• Salt to style

Directions

1. Wash and the slice the rinds of the shatkora. The flavour it fairly bitter and sharp. Some folks like bigger items however should you’re unsure, reduce them smaller.
2. Warmth the oil and ghee in a deep frying pan or pot over a medium excessive warmth. When the oil and ghee soften and start to shimmer, stir within the dried Kashmiri chillies, black cardamom pods and cinnamon persist with infuse for a couple of minute.
3. Add the onions and fry for about 8 minutes or till golden brown. Then stir within the garlic and ginger paste, garlic cloves and chopped chillies.
4. Add the bottom spices and hen to the pan and stir nicely to coat the hen with every thing within the pan.
   Add the passata and shatkora rinds together with simply sufficient water to cowl and produce to a simmer.
5. Cowl the curry with a lid and let simmer over a low warmth for about 20 minutes.
6. About 20 minutes into the cook dinner, stir within the potatoes and push them proper into the sauce to cook dinner via.
   Proceed simmering the curry to scale back and thicken the sauce. You are able to do this lined over a low to medium warmth or pace issues up and cook dinner, uncovered over a medium warmth.
7. When your potatoes and meat are cooked via and tender, stir within the kasoori methi, garam masala and add salt to style.
8. Serve scorching with rice, naans and/or chapatis. In the event you add extra potato, this Bengali hen curry might be served by itself with no sides.

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Vitamin Data:

Yield:

6

Serving Dimension:

1

Quantity Per Serving:

Energy: 442Whole Fats: 26gSaturated Fats: 8gTrans Fats: 0gUnsaturated Fats: 17gLdl cholesterol: 160mgSodium: 532mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 32g

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