“Murgir Jhol” is quite a common dish in Bengali households that features often in Sunday lunch menu. This preparation contains light runny gravy or ‘jhol’ in which chicken and potatoes are immersed. Using big pieces of potatoes in meat curries is a signature for Bengalis which is not seen elsewhere. While going through the posts in my blog, I suddenly discover that till date even if I shared various recipes of chicken, missed this simplest one. Since my childhood, I saw my mother to prepare this curry which I follow blindly. So here comes the recipe of Bengali “Murgir Jhol” taken from my mother’s cook book. Enjoy 🙂
Ingredients to serve 2-3 :
- Chicken with bone (cut into medium size pieces) – 500 gm.
- Potato (cut into halves) – 4 (medium)
- Onion (thinly sliced) – 3 (medium)
- Tomato (chopped) – 1 (medium)
- Green chilli – 2
- Ginger (grated) – 1″ piece (or, 1 tbspoon ginger paste)
- Garlic (crushed) – 3 large (or, 6 small) cloves
- Whole garam masala (Cinnamon – 1″ stick, Clove – 3, Green cardamom – 3)
- Bay leaf – 2
- Dry red chilli – 2
- Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
- Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
- Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil (preferably mustard oil) – 6 tbspoon
Procedure :
Clean the chicken pieces and then marinate with ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, chopped tomato (crush with fingers), salt and 2 tbspoon of oil for minimum 2 hours (preferably overnight).
Smear the potatoes with salt and turmeric powder.
Heat remaining 4 tbspoon of oil in a large frying pan or kadai over medium flame. Fry the potatoes into it till golden brown. Remove them from oil and keep aside.
Now add whole garam masala, bay leaf and dry red chillies into the remaining oil, saute for a while.
Then add crushed garlic, fry till garlic turns light brown.
Then add sliced onion and fry till it turns golden brown. Sprinkle little amount of salt while frying the onion.
Now add marinated chicken and mix it well with the spices. Add green chillies, cover the kadai and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
After that, as chicken changes its colour uncover the kadai, raise the flame and cook further for 2-3 minutes more.
As oil starts separating from the mixture add 2+1/2 cup of warm water.
Then add fried potato into the boiling water. Check for salt and add if it is needed.
Then cover the pan with a lid and let it cook over low – medium flame for 10 minutes.
Put the gas off as the chicken becomes tender and gravy thickens as per your desire. I like this gravy to be little watery, that’s why it is called “Jhol”.
Now give it a standing time of 2-3 minutes and then serve with steamed rice.
“Murgir Jhol” is also enjoyable with roti/ paratha/ puri.
Mr Fitz
that reads so nice!
Jayeeta
Thanks Fitz……. 🙂
Emma
Can you tell me how spicy this is? I just got back from a mission trip to Bangladesh, the food we had there was so good! I loved how spicy it was, and I want to make this for friends and family, but I really want that hot flavor! Thanks so much!
Jayeeta
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Emma. Sorry for late reply as I was away from my blog over a month. Hope you had a nice experience in Bangladesh. I also have a wish to visit Bangladesh at least once and taste their awesome cuisine.
The recipe of chicken curry described by me will be undoubtedly spicy and tasty. The hotness of the dish will depend on the amount of red chilli powder you are using. And again you can make the gravy little dry without using much water.
Do try the dish for your family and friend. Looking forward to your feedback.
Happy cooking. 🙂
Lu
Hi, will using sunflower oil instead of mustard oil affect the taste negatively? Thank you.
Jayeeta
Not much, exactly…. But mustard oil will be preffered…
Chicken Vindaloo | Cooking Delight
[…] with gravy dish rather than a dry one. Generally I used to please our tongues by making usual Bengali Murgir Jhol. Though today I was in search of a different spicy chicken curry with lots of gravy and I ended up […]
Sumaiya
I have been trying to get this murgir jhol recipe just right for such a long time!!!! Your recipe was just right. Everybody’s recipe is according to their household and your household recipe matches mines. I finally enjoyed some real comfort food. Thank you!
Jayeeta
I am so glad that you liked my recipe, Sumaiya……Feedback from people, like you, give me the satisfaction of blogging…..thank you so much…. 🙂
Sumaiya
You are welcome! Your blog is my go to one now. I am making your begun jhal and fulkopi aloo today. I will let you know how it turns out :). Next week I am going to make the prawn malay. My mothers prawn recipe is similar to yours except she uses curd. I want to try it with the coconut milk like your recipe. Very excited!
Jayeeta
I am waiting for you feedback, Sumaiya :)…..
‘Prawn malai curry’ is a very coveted dish for us and other two are regular comfort food. I hope you will like all of them…. 🙂
Biswarup
Darun recipe ta… Dhonnobad.
Jayeeta
Apnar pachondo hoeche jene khusi holam…… 🙂
Joy Chakroborty
dure theke,,,, barir khabar pe khub e khusi 🙂
Jayeeta
dhyonnobad, Joy……apnar feedback peye amio khusi 🙂
Shweta
This is delicious. I was heartily missing my mom’s chicken curry, and decided to treat myself. This tasted so right! Thank you!
Jayeeta
Thanks for your feedback, Shweta. Glad to know that you found in my recipe what were you looking for…. 🙂
Devadass
Wonderful, this is the first time I got it right cooking this wonderful dish from Bangladesh.I enjoyed the chicken curry with white rice.thank you.
Jayeeta
Thanks for your feedback, Devadass 🙂 This dish goes best with white steaming rice.
Though I never had been in Bangladesh, still happy to know that you found some similarity in my recipe with the one popular in Banglades ;). Keep browsing…….. 🙂
Ambika
I’ve made this twice in the past two weeks. Fantastic dish! Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Jayeeta
Thanks for your feedback, Ambika…..looking forward to hear more from you…..happy cooking….. 🙂
Kamal
I was born in Calcutta. When I was a kid my nanny used to cook Murgie Jhol. It is my favorite dish. My favorite part are the potatoes. After our nanny passed away my mother would often cook this food. I called it chicken curry and never was able to replicate it. I cooked it this evening following your recipe and directions. It was just like old times. I appreciate you sharing this recipe. Dhanyawad!!
Jayeeta
Thank you so much, Kamal for stopping by my blog….I am glad to know that you liked my recipe which I also inherit from my mother too…..It is always satisfactory to get such feedbacks from my readers…..happy cooking and keep browsing my blog….😀
Chicken Kosha in Bengali Style | Cooking Delight
[…] guests in our house. This is a spicy and dry curry of chicken in contrary to my earlier post ‘Murgir Jhol‘ which is a light dish of chicken with runny gravy. The most suitable accompaniment of this […]
Chicken Kosha in Bengali Style -Chicken - Cooking Delight
[…] guests in our house. This is a spicy and dry curry of chicken in contrary to my earlier post ‘Murgir Jhol‘ which is a light dish of chicken with runny gravy. The most suitable accompaniment of this […]