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October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Group testing of selected forum recipes by forum members
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rsaha
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October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by rsaha »

(This recipe can be found in the recipe section here - Admin)
bengalichickenrevised.jpg
This one builds upon my earlier posted recipe (which was before I really understood the BIR workflow). It's flavours are reminiscent of my childhood - panch phoran and cinnamon are flavours that come up all over bengali cuisine. I've dropped the mustard oil because while it adds a little something it's not really necessary. By all means, if you like mustard oil, use it 50/50 with whatever other oil you use.
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October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by British Indian »

Well, I have been bestowed the honour of choosing this months curry.

Seeing as rsaha's last curry went down so well in our house, I feel I must nominate his latest addition to the forum.

Apologies for choosing the same person again, but I feel the quality of the picture warrants us all giving this one a go.

viewtopic.php?f=243&t=6555
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rsaha
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by rsaha »

Wow - thank you!
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Mr.Everready
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by Mr.Everready »

I didn't get a chance to make Septembers, I'll definitely give this one a go. :yes:

PS What it Kosher salt ?

Discussion on Kosher salt moved here (Alchemist - Moderator)
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by Greybeard »

Some questions rsha, before I get stuck into this (Probably next weekend).

What colour mustard seeds (yellow or black)?
I only have cinnamon sticks - if ground and roasted would this be OK?
Would you like a review?

:thumbup:
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by Mr.Everready »

What colour mustard seeds (yellow or black)?
I came on to ask the very same question.
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rsaha
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by rsaha »

Sorry, I'm often out of town and out of internet range on the weekends.

I used black mustard seeds. I have no idea what grinding cassia bark would be like - do you not have bulk spice stores where you could grab a bit of cinnamon? Certainly it would be interesting to see what happens when one grinds and roasts though. Good experiment.

Greybeard, everyone here would no doubt love to read another of your reviews! I'm scared, of course, but the reading is so good that I will take my lumps as they come:-)
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by Greybeard »

Review - rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Balance. Perspective. Just “Getting it”. These are attributes when applied to any task, deliver a final product that is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Like the musical note when you ping a crystal glass with your fingernail, or the solid clunk of the door of a Volvo or Audi, the inherent sense of quality caresses your senses from every direction. When it comes to cooking, the devil is often in the detail but one factor that stands out is tender loving care or just plain old TLC. Where this becomes critical is in simple dishes where you cannot hide your mistakes behind the skirts of complexity. This is where the sheep are separated from the goats, the men from the boys, the obsessed from the dedicated.

A good example of this is the humble, perfectly soft boiled egg. A solid white, with a creamy, runny yolk is something that I can cook – but not 100% of the time. Sometimes the white is still a tad runny, sometimes the yolk is just turning solid. Try as I may using egg timers, the same size eggs, or even varying my technique, I have not found a solution that consistently delivers perfection every time. I have this theory that this is just down to a deep seated Freudian issue, where my mother (who was a superb cook) would just add a little knob of butter to the egg if the yolk was too hard. The secret, of course, was to know that you can easily recover from an egg that is slightly overcooked but the consequences of under-cooking the egg are more obvious and less easily remedied. And so it is with this curry. Simple the recipe may be, but on a Friday night, tired after a tough week at work I was in two minds. Do I go for simplicity knowing that I potentially might make a complete mess of it or do I cook something more complex, knowing that I can pull at the levers of ingredients and disguise any shortcomings of the chef with a dose of sugar, chutney or maybe some garam massala? Friday night is BIR curry night, and the highlight of our week. There was a lot at stake, so I proceeded to go Bengali – but treading carefully and lightly indeed.

Despite the simple ingredients list, the curse of the missing curry components laughed in my face as per usual while I assembled the ingredients. No coriander. Well, it is only for dressing and not having it would be a blessing in disguise as I would be able to resist the temptation to chop some up and add to the curry as I normally do 99% of the time. Chicken? Well, for some obscure reason there was a packet of chicken strips rather than breasts, but that should not be an issue. Mix powder? On checking my dabba, I had exactly 1 tsp in the tin, but horror of horrors I could not remember what recipe I had used. Knowing Mrs GB would not appreciate too much heat, I added ¾ tsp of Schwartz mild madras curry powder to bring the spice level up to a close match quantity wise. I was going to toast and grind up a cinnamon stick, but I discovered an unopened bottle of Schwartz cinnamon no doubt purchased for some baking experiment by another member of the household. Base was rescued from the freezer in readiness to be nuked in the microwave (a quite oily JALOBO concoction – just a load of boiled onions).

I decided to go minimal on the pre cooked chicken. An extremely generous tbsp of turmeric and a pinch of salt was the mix I used in boiling water for the chicken. I frequently add tandoori masala and sometimes other ingredients (methi, tomato purée or cinnamon sticks etc.) to the cooking liquor, but in the spirit of the curry, I resisted. 20 minutes later, the chicken was cooked to perfection, the base hot so it was onto the fry.

Some people have problems with bitterness in their curry, and while I have only experienced this a couple of times (overcooked garlic and I suspect frozen tomato purée that managed to get freezer burn) I have had some consistently bad experiences with Panch Phoran. At first I thought it was freshness, but I managed to replicate the experience with a very fresh (and expensive) tub of Tesco's gourmet range, so I realised the problem was my technique. Basically, I didn't realise I was burning it, and while it wasn't going dark or tasting bitter, the aroma at the fry stage just wasn't right. While it didn't permeate the curry too badly, this troubled me somewhat so I have tended to avoid using it. I was not going to be beaten though, and I realised you can get excellent results by lowering the heat and cooking “low and slow”, especially with dried Kashmiri chillies. So this was the technique I used here, and it was a revelation. Apart from a beautiful subtle colour to the oil, the aroma was phenomenal.

The rest, as they say, was history. Forgetting to take into account the slightly more oily base was my only downfall here, and this Bengali curry was probably more oily than intended. But the flavour !!! You have not lived until you dip warm, soft chapati into this luscious, red, fragrant oil. Warm crusty bread and olive oil? Forget it. This is in a different league altogether. The richness of the sauce, the sensual warmth, aroma, and mouth feel of the chicken wrapped in simple piece of bread. You can achieve Zen in a curry just with some very simple ingredients.

Much has been written about the superb quality of rsaha's photography and curries. Fred R. Barnard is attributed to being the author of the quote “A picture paints a thousand words”. M'lord, I rest my case. At 999 words.
bc_rsaha_001.JPG
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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by charliebir »

Looking great, GB.

Nice colour !
Charlie.
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by rsaha »

Greybeard - this is about the nicest thing I have ever heard about my cooking. Thank you for again taking the time to try one of my recipes and for the absolutely spectacularly written review. Your ability with the pen outdistances my ability with the camera or the stove by an humbling long shot.

These are the tastes of my childhood - rediscovered through the lens of the BIR technique I have learned here. I thank everyone here for teaching me something wonderful... I knew nothing about BIR until I came here...
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by Alchemist »

Bookmarked the recipe! When are you coming back to Curry Club, GB!?
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by Greybeard »

When are you coming back to Curry Club, GB!?
??? Wasn't sure where was best to post this (under the recipe or the CC thread itself) so please feel free to move my review to CC, if that is better. As you know I am a CC regular, I wouldn't miss it for the world, and if these reviews encourage people to try out new curries, so much the better :o .

Thanks rsaha, glad you liked the review. You will always beat me hands down on presentation and photography, but I was genuinely impressed how this dish is a proven case of "Less is more". Julian Voight took some flack on Youtube over this, but I am coming to the personal conclusion that complexity sometimes gets in the way.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by Westy »

That is another cracking review Gb :thumbup:

This is going to be our supper on Friday and I'm really looking forward to it - panch poran is one of my favourite spice mixes and simple is always best in my book - roll on Friday !
A curry can never be ‘too garlicky’ or ‘too hot’ .....
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by British Indian »

Great review (once again) GB. And great pictures too.

Roll on the weekend, when I can give this one a go for myself. I have a base on the go as I type, and a fresh batch of CA's mixed powder just made.........might even be made BEFORE the weekend :thumbup:
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Re: Bengali Chicken Revised

Post by charliebir »

deliver a final product that is so much greater than the sum of its parts
This effect is known as Gestalt !
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by British Indian »

I cooked this exactly to spec. I thought the full tsp of Kashmiri powder may have been too much for me, but it was just right. I really enjoyed what the panch poran with the extra mustard seeds provided to the curry. I wa tempted to add some sugar (as I tend to do with most curries) but resisted the urge, and I think for my taste buds, a little sweetness (sugar of mango chutney) would only add to the overall appeal.

Overall a very nice curry, that I am glad I took the time to make. I made four curries tonight, and this came in at joint second behind CA's simple Madras.

Thanks for sharing Rsaha. :thumbup:
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by ScotchBonnet »

I'm making this now to be heated up later. It's certainly a multi-sense experience. First impressions are good as the smell of the panch phoren hits you. Then the seeds start a-poppin'. Then the glorious garlic and ginger kicks in and the whole street knows it's curry night. Now for the colour - as if the Kashmiri chill wasn't red enough we get more red from the tomato. Smell dominates again as the base cooks accompanied by the return of sound as the whole thing bubbles. The finale will be a blast of green colour from the coriander as it's served. (No doubt there will slurping sounds too and the feel of an oily naan on the tongue)*. I added a bit of coriander into the curry as it cooked since my base doesn't have coriander in it but Tikka Tom's does.

Bengali Chicken 2016-10-13 15.37.42.jpg
Bengali Chicken 2016-10-13 15.37.42.jpg (52.35 KiB) Viewed 18728 times

*No puns, please.
"There is no such thing as too much oil; just an insufficiency of naan".
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by Alchemist »

*too many puns to even start! :lol::
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by ScotchBonnet »

This was yummy and will be made again. Thanks to rsaha for the recipe and to BI for proposing it as Curry of the Month,

Number 2 son has asked for the recipe. Not sure quite what he'll do with it, however, as his most daring culinary adventure to date has been Nutella on toast (to be fair to him, he doesn't burn the toast too often now).
"There is no such thing as too much oil; just an insufficiency of naan".
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Re: October 2016 rsaha's Bengali chicken (revised)

Post by Alchemist »

Sounds like a winner recipe...I'm going in this weekend!
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