Food and the Chance to Connect.
I am here to tell you a story, again. Don’t worry, it won’t be long before you reach the recipe. Or you can just scroll and find out how to make Doi Murgi. Last time, I talked about how my mother’s love of cooking has passed on to me. But as I think about what makes me care about food so much, I’ve realised it more than that. A bite of food is more than just some ingredients cooked in a special way. It contains culture, it contains tradition, innovation and more than that, it contains a chance. A chance to connect.
Food has always been my way to connect with people. At home, every meal was eaten with every member of the family present. Conversation would flow and it was a time for everyone to sit and share their thoughts. Sharing lunches at school with friends was probably the highlight of the day. We would exchange our lunches instead of eating our own. Sneaking around in class and passing food while the teacher wasn’t paying attention was also a lot of fun. As I grew up, sharing my own food and culture with my friends and learning theirs through their food became my favourite thing.
When I moved out of home and came to a different city, things didn’t change much. So many of my friendships have started with the promise of exploring food. Travelling to different corners of the city to discover a delicacy became a fun adventure. Munching on our favourite snacks as we decided what movies to watch after a long day became a usual pastime. Beyond everything special that exists, is something so mundane as a meal to survive, that always connects us.
This recipe is also about connection for me. With friends that have helped me through a lot in life. They come from Bengal and their culture isn’t very dissimilar to mine. Their food, however, is a whole new experience. Bengali Doi Murgi is probably one of the simplest recipes, but I hope to explore more of this cuisine. This recipe is for the friend who helped me find my way back in life.
It is a reminder to me, that happiness can exist in the smallest of things, like one bite of delicious food.
Now that my story is over, the recipe for Doi Murgi is below. It is very simple, does not require a lot of hard work. And is the perfect dinner for when you want to simply be lazy and just sit and talk with your friends instead of spending too much time in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg Chicken
- 350g Yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Ginger Garlic paste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt (for marinade)
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil (for marinade)
- 4 Cloves
- 2 Black cardamoms crushed
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Dry Red chillies
- 2 Green cardamoms crushed
- 2 cups Red onion
- 10-12 cloves Garlic
- 1 and ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
Directions:
- Mix the yogurt, juice of one lemon, ginger garlic paste and 1 tablespoon mustard oil with the chicken. Coat the pieces properly and let it marinate for 2 hours.
- Heat the mustard oil in a pan and add the cloves, bay leaves, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, and dry red chillies. Fry for 4-5 minutes until the spices are fragrant.
- Slice the onion finely and add it to the pan. Fry until golden brown.
- Mince the garlic and add it to the pan. Then add the coriander powder and Red chilli.
- Add the chicken along with the marinade. Add a cup of water and cover the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and cook for another 5 minutes to reduce the water content and make the gravy thick.
And now your Doi Murgi is ready to be served and it’s absolutely delicious. Served it with steamed rice or a pulao of your choice. You can make a spiced raita to go with the dish too.
