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Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!
Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.
I will take you through the Chicken Dak Bungalow recipe, but before that you should know the story behind this dish.
Chicken Dak Bungalow Story and Wiki
During the British rule over India, dak bungalows were built to serve as the staging posts for the British mail service within the country. They also acted as the rest house for the mail service personnel, British officers and guests.
Many of these buildings had a cook-cum-attendant (called as khansamah) who used to cook and serve inexpensive food for the guests.
During many such evenings the British guest would ask for meat and order the same to be made less spicier.
The Dak Bungalow Curry is a recipe inspired from the fowl curry made during the British era in the buildings that housed the imperial mail service.
The attendant would go out and get a country fowl (farm poultry chicken was not a norm during those days). Many of these fowls would have eggs in their body and the khansamah would cook a delicious meal using the meat and the eggs.
Over time, this light in spice, nutritious and delicious fowl curry came to be known as “dak bungalow curry” by the local folks.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the dish was made popular by famous Bengali restaurant Bhojohori Manna.
The restaurant made it a signature dish and gave it a uniqueness by boiling eggs, sauteing it and adding it to the gravy. The current version is spicier than how it was made in the British days.
Now that you know the story behind the dak bungalow curry, get ready to prepare this dish at home.
How to Make Chicken Dak Bungalow
Note
The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.
Equipment
- Wok or kadai
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Serving plate
- Kitchen knife for chopping
Ingredients
For the Marinade of Chicken Dak Bungalow
- 500 g chicken use curry cut pieces
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste use store bought if you do not want to make it fresh
- 1/2 cup curd
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
For the Dak Bungalow Curry
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 4 pc medium-sized onions
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 pc potatoes optional
- 3 pc eggs
- 2 pc green chilly
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 3 cups water
Whole Spices for Tempering
- 1 pc cinnamon stick
- 1 pc bayleaf
- 4-5 pc peppercorns
- 2-3 pc cardamom pods
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
Instructions
Preparation for the Chicken Dak Bungalow Curry (25 minutes)
- Slice the onions and chop the chilies
- Chop ginger and garlic and prepare a paste for the marinade
- Beat the curd
- Marinade the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under "For the Marinade" under Ingredients
- Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes
- Boil potatoes and cut in halves
- Boil the eggs and de-shell them
- Rub turmeric powder on the potatoes and eggs
- Saute the potatoes till the sides have a golden color, keep aside
- Saute the eggs till the outer skin develops a reddish color, keep aside
Cooking the Dak Bungalow (30 minutes)
- Heat oil in a wok
- Add in the whole spices mentioned under "Whole Spices for Tempering"
- Add in the onions and fry till the onions turn brown
- Add the chicken with the marinade
- On a high flame, cook the chicken for 10 minutes
- Add in the chopped chilies and salt, and stir for a couple of minutes
- Add water and bring to a boil
- Add in the potatoes, fried eggs and sugar
- Cook covered for another 15 minutes
- Check seasonings and adjust if required
- Serve hot with rice or roti
Notes
- You can use store bought ginger-garlic paste instead of making it
- You can use a store bought Garam Masala, I prefer making my own garam masala.
- Tomatoes do not go with this dish
- Traditionally, the dish is not high on spice. However, if you love a spicy curry you can go ahead and increase accordingly
- The dish has a sweet nature to it, however, it is not overtly sweet
- Potatoes are optional and have been added as they are favorites, you can skip them
- This dish goes very well with a sweet pulao
- Cook this dish using mustard oil for the best results
Will try this recipe seems good
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