Bengali Chicken & Basmati Rice with Ghee, Caramelized Onions, Whole Garam Masala, and Green Chilies
Serves 2. 2 hour cook time. A Bengali morog pulao — chicken cooked with whole spices, then layered with parboiled basmati rice, milk, kewra essence and pistachio. Basmati rice is a long, slender-grained aromatic variety originally cultivated in the Indian sub-continent. It is extremely fragrant and non-sticky, so each grain remains individual after cooking — especially important for Bengali rice dishes such as pulao, biryani, and khichuri, as it lets the rice hold more sauce and absorb better flavor. It is important to use basmati for this dish, because substitutions such as jasmine rice, brown rice or brown basmati rice won't yield the same aromatic, textural or flavorful results. You can find basmati rice at most Asian supermarkets. Serve warm with a traditional Bengali garden tomato and cucumber salad (recipe included below).
Ingredients
| 1 pound | 455 g | mix of chicken legs and thighs, scored with a knife (skinless or skinned; bone-in preferred) |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | whole-milk plain yogurt (Greek or Icelandic preferred) |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | ginger paste (or finely grated ginger) |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | garlic paste (or finely minced/pressed garlic) |
| 1/2 teaspoon | kosher salt | |
| 1/8 teaspoon | nutmeg, ground | |
| 1/8 teaspoon | mace, ground (optional) | |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | ghee or unsalted butter (for the chicken) |
| 1 | medium yellow onion, finely diced | |
| 2 | cinnamon sticks, 3-4 inches long | |
| 2 | cardamom pods, whole | |
| 2 | cloves, whole | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | room temperature water |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | lime juice, freshly squeezed |
| 1/2 teaspoon | granulated white sugar | |
| 2-4 | green chilies, slit in half with seeds intact (Thai bird or serrano) | |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | ghee or unsalted butter (for the rice) |
| 2 | medium yellow onions, thinly sliced | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | long thin grained basmati rice |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | hot water |
| 1 1/2 teaspoon | kosher salt (for the rice) | |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | whole milk |
| 1 1/2 teaspoon | kewra water (screw-pine/pandanus essence), optional | |
| 1 1/2 teaspoon | pistachio powder (freshly ground), optional | |
| на вкус | crispy fried onions, for garnish (optional) | |
| на вкус | green chilies, for garnish (optional) | |
| на вкус | lime wedges, for garnish (optional) | |
| 1 | ripe plum tomato, medium-sized, diced (for the salad) | |
| 2 | Persian cucumbers, diced (for the salad) | |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | red onion, diced (for the salad) |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | cilantro, chopped (for the salad) |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | lime juice, freshly squeezed (for the salad) |
| на вкус | kosher salt, to taste (for the salad) |
Instructions
Equipment: a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid, and 2 bowls.
Marinate the chicken
- Using a sharp knife, score the chicken thighs and drumsticks with 1-inch slits.
- In a bowl, combine the yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, kosher salt, nutmeg powder, and mace powder. Add the chicken pieces and mix well to combine. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Cook the chicken (morog) 3. While the chicken is marinating, finely dice a medium yellow onion. 4. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or unsalted butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven. 5. Once the ghee is hot, add the diced yellow onion and sauté until translucent and starting to brown on the edges (about 10 minutes). 6. Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and whole cloves to the onions, and sauté on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the onions and whole spices are fragrant. 7. Add the marinated chicken and all of the marinade mixture to the pot. 8. Increase the heat to medium-high. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer, if possible, and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side until the chicken pieces start to caramelize and turn golden brown. 9. Add 1 cup of room temperature water to the chicken and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring once in the middle to release any chicken pieces stuck to the pot. 10. After 15 minutes, check the chicken for doneness. At this point the chicken should be fully cooked and there should be about 1 cup of gravy in the pot. If the chicken is not yet done, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 11. Transfer the cooked chicken and all of the gravy (every drop!) to a bowl. Keep the Dutch oven aside — don't clean it, as we will use the same pot to cook the rice later. 12. To the bowl of cooked chicken and gravy, add the lime juice, sugar, and slit green chilies. Mix well into the gravy. Set aside.
Cook the rice (pulao) 13. Rinse 1 cup of basmati rice and set aside. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a kettle and set the hot water aside. 14. In the same Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or unsalted butter over medium-high heat. 15. Once the ghee is hot, add the thinly sliced onions and fry until translucent and starting to become crispy and golden on the edges. 16. Add 1 cup of rinsed basmati rice to the onions and fry until the rice starts to become crispy — about 2 minutes. 17. Pour 2 cups of hot water over the rice. Add the kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Once at a roaring boil, cover the pot with a lid and immediately reduce the heat to medium. Set a timer for 5 minutes. 18. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat completely. This is called parboiling the rice.
Layer the morog pulao 19. Uncover the pot and gently remove half of the parboiled (partially cooked) rice to a second bowl, being careful not to over-handle the rice in the pot. Set this bowl of rice aside. 20. To the pot (that is missing half of the rice), add all of the cooked chicken and all of the gravy (every drop!). 21. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of milk over the chicken and rice. Drizzle the kewra essence and crushed pistachios as well, if using. 22. Cover up the chicken by layering the rice that we set aside. Once all the rice is added back in, cover the pot with a lid and set the heat to the lowest possible setting. Set a timer for 20 minutes. 23. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat, uncover the lid, and give the whole mixture a gentle stir to fully combine the rice and chicken. 24. Put the lid back on. Let rest for 10 minutes (with the heat off) before garnishing and serving. 25. Garnish with crispy fried onions, extra green chilies, and lime wedges if desired. 26. Serve warm with a traditional Bengali garden tomato and cucumber salad (see recipe below).
Bengali Garden Tomato & Cucumber Salad Ingredients: 1 medium ripe plum tomato, diced; 2 Persian cucumbers, diced; 1 tablespoon red onion, diced; 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped; 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice; kosher salt, to taste. Method: Mix the salad ingredients together in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.