Chicken Rezala Bengali Style | How to make Chicken Rezala | White Chicken Korma
Chicken Rezala is a rich and delicious Mughlai influenced Bengali style chicken curry. Chicken rezala is a mild and delicately flavoured dish made with aromatic and rich spices. Let’s see (step by step) how to make authentic Kolkata style Chicken rezala at home.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- large thick bottomed pan
Ingredients
Marination
- 1 kg Chicken I used chicken legs
- 2-3 tbsp Yogurt
- 1/2 cup Onion paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp Salt or as per taste
For the curry
- 2 cups Onion chopped
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 2-3 Green Chillies chopped
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 8-10 Dried red chilli
- 2 Black cardamoms
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 5-6 Cloves
- 4-5 Green cardamoms
- 1-2 tsp Sugar
- pinch Saffron soaked in 2 tbsp of milk
- 2 tsp Kewra water few drops if using kewra essence
- 2-3 drops Meetha attar (optional)
- 3-4 tbsp Ghee or use half oil and half ghee
Ground to paste
- 22-25 Cashew nuts soaked in 3-4 tbsp of warm water
- 1 tbsp khus khus/white poppy seeds/posto soaked in 3-4 tbsp of warm water
Instructions
- In a mixer grinder add the soaked cashew nuts and poppy seeds along with some water to make a fine paste.
- in a large bowl the chicken with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, onion paste and salt. And let it marinate for an hour at least.
- In a large pan heat ghee (You can also use half ghee and half oil) on medium heat. temper the ghee with dried red chillies, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves.
- Then add chopped onions and fry on medium heat thill the onion is soft and translucent. Make sure not to brown the onions because browning the onions wont give us white gravy in the end..
- Next add the marinated chicken and mix everything well.
- Sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon on coriander powder to the chicken and mix everything well. Continue sautéing for 2 minutes.
- Then add chopped green chillies and poppy seeds- cashew nuts paste and stir well.
- Add the yogurt and mix every thing well.
- Now cover and cook on low heat for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and you see the oil separating from the sides.
- Finally add kewra essence(few drops if using kewra essence), saffron milk and meetha attar (optional).
- Garnish with chopped almonds, coriander and silver verv(optional). Serve Chicken Rezala hot with parathas or rice.
