Murgir Patla Jhol – Light and Soupy Chicken Curry
I love to cook something on a Friday night. Despite, often winding down a workweek and usually fitting in some of my grocery runs. It just is my way of saying “Fry Yay!”. Anticipating that today is a hot one I made this chicken curry. This is a soupy delicate creation, heady with fennel, mint and lime. Patla Morgir Jhol is a light and soupy chicken curry that you will find on Bengali tables in summer. Not all spices are made the same, some spices are warming and then there are others like this fennel and poppy seeds that are cooling. A creation like this during summer is actually served with room temperature rice to further brace and combat the heat. The best part is, that all of this comes together with just about 10 minutes of active time.
My Soupy Chicken Curry Story
A combination of a small food processor and the instant pot helps with this. The instant pot adds a little darkness to the color of the gravy, but renders fork tender chicken in about 20 minutes. So, dinner was a happy and breezy meal. I add a mixture of small potatoes and turnips to the gravy. I also sometimes scrape in a carrot or two.
You can even skip the potatoes altogether. Essentially, up to you. This is a simple homey chicken curry that is yours to make your own. I am sharing with you my version, the mint in particular is my summer favorite. We have so much in the yard, so I naturally put it to good use. And, what can be more refreshing that good fresh summer’s mint. I served this with perfectly done brown rice.
How to Enjoy the Soupy Chicken Curry
Honestly you can enjoy a good bowl of this on its own, maybe with some crusty bread to dunk into the soupy delicate gravy. I do not have much going on for the holiday week. I am toying with the idea of taking the fifth of to make it a nice long weekend.
Now onto the recipe. Just as a note, this works very well as a vegetarian option with cubes of paneer. Dishes like this help me bring the nostalgia of Indian summer to my table.
Other Bengali Curries that are interesting are this Festive Chicken Curry and Instant Pot Bengali Fish Curry
A light and soupy chicken curry, delicately seasoned with lime juice, mint and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 medium sized red onion, peeled
- 1 karge knob, ginger
- 2 green chilies
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 and 1/2 pounds skinless chicken on the bone (1 used 6 drumsticks)
- 3 to 4 baby potatoes, peeled
- 4 to 6 small baby turnips
- 1 medium sized carrot, peeled and quartered
- Juice of 1 lime plus lime wedges for services
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place the fennel and corander seeds in a coffee grinder and grind to a smooth powder. Stir in the turmeric.
- Place the onion, ginger and green chilies in a food processor or chopper and pulse a few times until finely chopped.
- Turn the instant pot onto saute mode and heat the oil for a couple of minutes. Add in the whole cumin seeds and wait until they sizzle.
- Add in the chopped onion and saute for 3 minutes, until the onion has softened.
- Add in the chicken and the ground spices. Mix well and turn off the heat.
- Stir in the potatoes, turnips and carrots. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water. Cover and set on 4 minutes of pressure and allow a natural release.
- Stir in the lime juice and the mint and cilantro. Serve garnished with additional lime wedges if desired.