Dum Chicken Dak Bungalow

Dak Bungalow!
The word reminds of the colonial times and one of the numerous trophies that was left by the British after they left the shores of the country. Basically Dak Bungalows were buildings where the British officer used to halt for the night while on a journey to a remote place along with his entourage.And like most things "Dak Bungalow" cuisine too were imbibedinto the food culture of the country. They food may not surely be like the ones which the Britishers used to have back then, but the name gives a colonial era touch and feel to the menu.

Chicken DakBungalow is quite a popular menu in the Bengali restaurants circuit of the city. It consits of a whole egg, chicken on the bone and half a slice of potato, cooked using garam masalas and results in a thick onion-ginger-garlic-tomato based gravy. I recreated the Chicken Dak Bungalow but gave it a twist by putting the chicken on a Dum(Steaming), which is cooking the curry in its own moisture thereby imparting it a different taste.

Preparation:
Ingredients:

• Chicken: 500 gms, on the bone.
• Onion: 200 gms.Paste.
• Garlic: 10 cloves.Made into a paste.
• Ginger: 1/2 inch slice.Made into a paste.
• Curd: 70-80 gms. Whisked.
• Vegetable Oil: 3 tablespoons
• Salt: To taste.

Powdered Spices:

• Turmeric Powder:1.5 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder:1 tsp.
• Coriander Powder:2 tsp
• Cumin Powder:1.5 tsp.

Procedure:

• Mix all the above ingredients together and keep aside for 2-3 hours in the open.

Cooking(Part I: Braising):

• Fried Brown Onion Paste: 100 gms.First dice 150 gms of onions and fry in oil until golden brown. Then make the fried onions into a paste.
• Potato: One potato,deskinned sliced into 2.Lightly fried.
• Egg: 2. Whole boiled.
• Tomato: 1 medium sized-50 gms.Made into a paste.
• Salt: To taste.
• Vegetable Oil: 2 table spoon.
• Ghee: 1 tbsp.
• Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp.

\Whole Spices:

• Green Cardamon:4
• Cinnamon Stick:One 1 inch stick
• Cloves: 5-6
• Black Pepper:5-6.Crushed.
• Bay leaf:2
• Red Chilli:1
• Cumin Seeds:1 tsp.

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in a pan/wok.Once the oil gets hot, add the Whole spices. 
• Wait for the spices to sputter and crackle. The end of which they will release the aroma.
• Add the entire contents of the marinade to the wok.
• Increase the oven to High Heat.
• Add the tomato paste.
• Braise the chicken properly so that the colour changes to golden brown.It should require 15-20 mins.
• Add the potato slices and the whole eggs. Also add the brown onions
• Stir the mixture properly for another 5 mins.
• Check for the salt and add more if required.
• Shut down the oven.

Tip: The traditional Chicken Dak Bungalow is cooking the chicken along with boiled eggs and potatoes into a curry until the chicken has become tender. For the "Dum" process, which enhances the taste and which I suggest to be tried, please continue:

Cooking(Part II: The "Dum")

• Transfer the entire contents into a container and seal it with a covered lid.Please note that the amount of moisture is important for the Dum, else the ingredients will stick to the bottom.
• Under low heat, let the contents cook for 45-50 mins. 
• Remove the sealed lid and add Ghee and Garam Masala powder in the quantities mentiond above.
• Give the ingredients one final stir.

Serve with Roti/Paranthas.