Aaloo Diye Murgir Jhol

Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments ~ Bethenny Frankel.

This recipe takes me down to the nostalgic and elaborate home cooked Sunday meals. How we waited for this specific day to come, week after week, so that the entire family would sit and not just relish food, but discuss food, and the spices. And every possible variant to the Dish of the Day.

Staying away from home, has its own pros and cons. While you get the space and privacy, you sometimes miss your home cooked comfort meals. I tried making this recipe multiple times, with my mom on the call, instructing me how to go step by step. But somehow, however much I tried, I just couldn't catch the exact formula to the perfect "Murgir Jhol".

I missed the way it was cooked at home.

In our regular food conversations at home. We would often talk about this bhaja gorom moshla, and its use in multiple recipes. My mom always fills a jar and keeps it my bag, on my home visits. It just works like magic. My personal touch to the recipe was the marination with ground mint leaves, which gave the entire recipe a complete twist, keeping the basic flavors intact.

Sharing the recipe below.

RECIPE:

Servings: 3 People

Marinating Time: 1.5 - 2 Hours

Cooking Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

1. 800 gms Chicken

2. 2 medium size Potatoes

3. 1 medium size Tomato

4. 4 medium size Onions

5. 4 green Chilies

6. 3 Tbsp. Curd

7. 50 Gms Mint Leaves

8. 50 Gms Coriander Leaves

9. 2 Inches Ginger

10. 1 big pod of Garlic

11. 1 Tbsp. Cumin Powder

12. 1 Tbsp. Coriander Powder

13. 1 Tbsp. bhaja gorom moshla

14. 1 Tbsp. Cumin Seeds

15. 1 Bay Leaf

16. Mustard Oil for cooking

17. Turmeric

18. Salt

Marinating Process:

Step 1: Chop 1 onion into thin slices and slit the green chilies. Keep aside.

Step 2: In a grinder, grind the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, garlic, and curd. Make a thick paste.

Step 3: After washing and cleaning the chicken, marinate the chicken with the ground paste, sliced onions, and green chilies. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric. Cover and keep aside for 1.5 hours to 2 hours.

Cooking Steps:

Step 1: Chop the Onions and the tomatoes in juliennes, dice the potatoes, into 2 splits, and keep aside.

Step 2: In a pan, preferably heavy base, add oil. Fry the potatoes till golden brown, on high flame. Using a slotted spatula. Remove from oil and keep on a absorbent paper.

Step 3: In the same pan, heat the oil, when the oil smokes, add the bay leaf, and cumin seeds. Let crackle.

Step 4: Add the chopped onions and fry. When the onions are half done, add the marinated chicken. We will not fully cook the onions here.

Step 5: Now add the marinated chicken pieces to the masala. Fry on high flame for 2 minutes.

Step 6: Lower the flame. Add the chopped tomatoes. Add coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on.

Step 7: Remove the lid and on high flame, cook the chicken for another 2- 3 minutes. Add the fried potatoes. Add 1/2 cup Luke warm water. Reduce the flame and cook for another 10 minutes, on low flame.

Step 8: Remove the lid. Switch off the flame and cover with a lid. Adjust the salt, as per taste. Add the bhaja gorom moshla. Don't stir the masala as of yet.

Step 9: Give it a nice stir on a medium high flame, before serving.

Serve with roti or steamed rice.