DAK BUNGALOW / TRAVELER'S REST HOUSE CHICKEN CURRY

DAK BUNGALOW / TRAVELER'S REST HOUSE CHICKEN CURRY

For those who do not know what a ‘Dak Bungalow’ is, it was simply a ‘Traveler’s Rest House in the Indian subcontinent, during the days of the British Raj, originally on a Dak Route. Dak was a system of mail delivery or passenger movement, transported by relays of bearers or horses stationed at intervals along a particular route and these Rest Houses were established or built at various places along the route. These Traveler’s Bungalows or Dak Bungalows later became the Inspection Bungalows for British Officers.

The recipe for preparing this dish varied with each cook at the Dak Bungalows depending on the availability of ingredients in a particular place as most Dak Bungalows or Inspections were on Trunk Roads and not in the vicinity of Grocery shops. The Red Chicken Curry of those Colonial times is still prepared by the cooks in the present day Inspection / Travellers’ Bungalows as the ‘Laal Murgi Curry’!

Serves 6      Preparation and cooking Time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

 1 Kg chicken cut into medium size pieces

1 teaspoon spice powder or garam masala powder

3 teaspoons chopped garlic                     

2 teaspoon chillie powder

3 onions sliced

2 tomatoes chopped finely

Salt to taste

3 green chillies

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ cup curds / yogurt (optional)

Wash the chicken and add all the ingredients mentioned above to it and marinate for about 1 hour in a suitable pan. Place the pan on medium heat and cook closed for about 5 to 6 minutes. Lower the heat, add enough water and then simmer on low heat till the chicken is cooked and the gravy thickens. 

Serve with Steamed rice or chapattis.