Doi Murgi / Dahi Chicken / Chicken in smooth Yogurt Sauce

Doi Murgi is a very popular Bengali chicken dish, where the chicken pieces are simmered in a thick yogurt sauce with very minimum spices. A very light and soothing recipe from the house of Bengalis....where adding lots of red chilli powders and an utter amount of spices is not just a norm but an unwritten rule, a habit that has survived the test of time and still running strong.

I grew up in home where our weekly dosage of meat was strictly restricted within the limit of a simple “Mangsher Jhol” / chicken curry where “Kosha Mangsho” made occasional appearances. And we all were happy with that. Trust me when I say this, that for my 25 long years that native “mangsher jhol” was the dish which I knew as our staple and our only resort. A steel plate, half full with rice, some fries placed at the right side in some clots and a bowl of “jhol”, from which two chicken pieces and 1 large potato cube peeked from the thin reddish curry. This had been my favourite meal for every Sunday lunch. Healthy and hearty.

Well...then I got married and I was introduced with a lot of things. Apart from all our “Bangal-Ghoti” customs to the everyday food,  everything changed. I had a lot to take in. Then one day my husband cooked Doi Murgi, and I started to have complexes...right then and right there. I did not know how to light even a gas back then!! But leave all these confusions behind the door...and I was introduced to a lovely chicken curry. It tasted a lot like “Kosha Mangsho” but from the scale of richness it did not even come close.

From that day on, I am in love with “Doi Murgi”. They are easy to make and at the same time, super yummy.  Some time I cook Doi Murgi with ghee, some time with mustard oil and some time with refined oil. Every time I get different taste.

Doi Murgi / Chicken in Creamy Yogurt Sauce

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

700gm chicken on bone

1 cup thick curd - whisked

1 large onion - chopped

4-5 garlic cloves – minced / paste

½ inch stick of ginger – minced / paste

A handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp turmeric powder

1-2 tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp garam masala powder

½ tsp sugar
½ tsp cumin seeds

1 medium stick of cinnamon

3 cloves

3 green cardamom

1 medium bay leaf

5-7 whole black peppercorns

Salt

2 tbsp ghee / refined oil

Method:

Heat ghee / oil in a kadai and put the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom, whole black peppercorns and bay leaf into that.

Sauté for half a minute or until the ghee / oil gets aromatic and then add the chopped onions.

Sauté and cook till the onions become lightly brown. Then add the ginger – garlic paste and sauté for a minute more, or until the raw flavour of the garlic is gone.

Now switch off the flame and after one minute pour in the whisked yogurt. Immediately stir in and mix to incorporate everything.

Add in ½ cup of water and simmer for 2-4 minutes or until everything forms a smooth paste and oil starts to separate.

Put the chicken pieces at this point. Add in salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and sugar. Stir to coal the chicken pieces nicely with all the spices.

Put cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

After 2-3 minutes all the water that oozed out of the chicken pieces will evaporate and the chicken pieces will be a little coloured. (For larger quantities of chicken, this time might be longer.)

Pour 1 and ½ cup of water, put cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium flame. After 15 minutes check whether the chicken is cooked completely. If yes, simmer till the gravy reaches your desired consistency and put off the flame.

If no, cook for another 10 minutes. If the gravy dries in this process add some more water to the chicken.

Once the chicken is done, put off the lid and simmer till the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Put off the flame, sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander leaves and drizzle some lemon juice just before serving.