By Rajan Bhattacharya
August 22, 2024
Discover how to make a delicious, creamy Bengali-style Chicken Rezala at home. This Mughlai-inspired curry, rich in flavour, uses chicken, yoghurt, and a blend of cashew nuts, poppy seeds, and spices.
1kg skinless bone-in chicken, cut into pieces 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 cup plain yogurt, whisked 10-12 cashew nuts 2 tbsp white poppy seeds 4-5 green chillies, stalks removed 2 tbsp oil 4 tbsp ghee, divided 3-4 cloves 6-8 whole black peppercorns 2 cinnamon stick
2 whole green cardamoms 2 whole black cardamoms 4-5 whole dry red chillies 1 tsp white pepper powder 2 tsp salt, or to taste 1 tsp garam masala powder ½ cup onion paste 2-3 drops Kewra essence 1 pinch saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp milk
Marinate the chicken in ginger garlic paste and yogurt for one hour. Soak cashew nuts and poppy seeds in warm water for 10 minutes.
Blend the soaked cashew nuts, poppy seeds, and green chillies into a smooth paste.
Heat ghee and oil in a pan, add whole spices, and sauté for 10-15 seconds. Add the marinated chicken to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add the remaining marinade, the paste, white pepper, salt, and garam masala to the pan.
Stir in the onion paste and water, then cover and cook on low heat for 40-50 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Finish with ghee, Kewra essence, and saffron before serving.