About a year back when Eat Your Kappa shared a recipe of Bodo Style Chicken Curry, I was one of the first viewers to make the recipe, because it just looked so simple. This was a recipe that, in its entirety, didn’t need any yogurt or tomato in the cooking process, unlike most other chicken curry recipes I’ve seen, and was one of the easiest recipes that can be a very good introduction to a beginner who’s just starting to cook and is easily intimidated by a lot of ingredients.
That’s why I have decided to put my version on the blog. If you are just starting off cooking and you don’t want anything too fancy, this is the kind of recipe that you should be making. It is simple, it has very few ingredients, and can be modified according to what you have in hand. That makes it a perfect weeknight dinner with some rice, maybe some stir fried vegetables, and a simple salad made of cucumber, onion, carrots and lime wedges.
Now, since you’re here, let me give you a brief idea about Bodo people of Assam. The Bodo people are the largest ethnic group living in primarily Assam, but they can be traced to all over the North Eastern part of India, as well as some parts of Burma. So, brief history done, let’s move on to the curry. If you are looking for similar easy weeknight meal ideas, check out this chicken curry recipe or the Pressure Cooker Chicken Rezala recipe from the archives.
Now, in the video by Eat Your Kappa, it is said that this recipe is similar to the Chicken curry made by the Garo Tribe. So, here’s how my version of Bodo Chicken Curry turned out, or, what N says is “Daau Jwng Aloo Jwng Wngkhree”.
Bodo Chicken Curry Recipe
Start by washing and cleaning about 500 gm. chicken. Although the original recipe showed the recipe with already cooked chicken, as I was using broiler chicken (the chicken was of about 1.5 kilos), I decided to season it with a touch of salt and 1 tsp vinegar, just to ensure it didn’t smell in any way. You are free to skip this step, but I would not, personally.
Make a paste of 1 medium sized onion. Here, I used the 1:5 ratio, where I used about 100 gm. onion paste to 500 gm. chicken. I also made a paste of 1 inch of ginger (about 2 tsp. after grinding), 6 cloves of garlic (about 1 tsp after grinding) and 1 red chilli (Totally optional).
The next step is to select a herb to season the meat with. Since this recipe has very few ingredients, you should pay attention to the ingredients themselves. What I absolutely love about the food from the North East is the way they use all ingredients, and how it highlights individual flavours sharply. I have used coriander leaves, lemongrass, as well as parsley to flavour this curry, and they work very well. You can also use culantro, if its available in your area. Just don’t add too much, or the chicken will smell of that strongly, overpowering everything. I used about 1 tbsp of coriander/parsley, and about 1 thin stalk of lemongrass, in three different occasions, so, pick your herb from the options and move with it.
Now, heat about 3 tbsp mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel. You would need that oil to sear the meat, so don’t skip it. Once hot, add the onion paste and stir fry over medium heat, till its lightly brown, about 2 minutes.
Add about 1/2 tsp turmeric powder along with the chicken. Turn the heat to high and sear the meat on all sides, stirring, till the chicken doesn’t look really pink. This will take about 3-4 minutes, maybe more if you have more chicken.
Add 4-5 green chillies, chopped into big chunks, and 4-5 peeled cloves of garlic. Once that is done, add 2 cups of water, 4-5 medium potatoes (about 300 gm., peeled), and the ginger garlic paste. Add some salt at this point, then bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Now, I like to add a tomato, cored and cut into sixths. This, I add about 10 minutes into the cooking. What it does when you add it slightly late is simple – it doesn’t break down into the gravy, but it imparts a much-needed hint of tang when you’re mashing it in with your rice, and adds to the flavour of the gravy. Once you add the tomato around halfway down the cooking, cover again and let it cook till the potatoes and meat are both soft.
At this point, simply stir in your herb of choice, cover, simmer for another minute or so, and then turn off the heat, taking care NOT to open the lid for another 5-10 minutes, in order to infuse the flavour of the herb into your Bodo Chicken Curry. And that’s it – now, take your rice, get a healthy helping, and consume!
