CHICHEN JALFRAZIE

Jalfrazie is a sautéd dish, which can be prepared with meat, poultry, sea food etc.

The word “Jalfrazie” came from 2 words: “Jal” meaning “spicy or pungent” and “Frazie” meaning “Fried”. As in the case of almost all of our cuisine, which started out as insipid concoctions, in the days of the British Raj, the original “Jal Frezie” was bland and tasteless. The Colonial servants would fry up the leftover Christmas Turkey and Chicken Roasts with some pepper, chillies, etc., for Breakfast the next day. Over the years many more ingredients and spices were added to this dish to make it as spicy and delicious as it is today and it has become synonymous with the Cuisine of West Bengal.

CHICKEN JAL FREZIE

Serves 6           Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 kg Chicken cut into small pieces

2 tomatoes chopped finely

2 onions sliced finely

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

3 tablespoons oil or ghee

3 slit green chillies or 1 capsicum / green pepper cut into slices

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Marinate the chicken with the turmeric powder, chillie powder and salt for about half an hour.

Heat oil in a suitable pan and add the onions and chopped garlic and ginger and fry till golden brown. Add the chicken and sauté for a few minutes till it changes colour. Now add all the other ingredients and stir well. Simmer on low heat till the chicken is tender and the gravy is quite thick. Serve with rice, chapattis or bread.