Okay so I will be sharing the family favorite recipe for a Bengali chicken curry (Kosha Murgi). Every family has their own version, and ours is pretty loved by guests, so it is a winner :)

Get a skinned chicken jointed into medium sized pieces (not too big). Since Indian chickens are quite scraggy, often cutting one into 12 pieces is enough, but for American chickens you need to make more pieces. Quarter medium sized potatoes.

Okay, now on to the curry paste. Blitz together (onions, ginger, garlic) and mix with natural yogurt, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder (or paprika if you don't like it hot) and slather the chicken in it. Coat the potatoes in salt, red chilly powder and turmeric powder and just a tiny pinch of sugar (to help with caramelization). We usually cook with mustard oil, but vegetable oil would be fine too. If using olive oil, don't use extra virgin. :) Fry the potatoes until golden on the outside but still not cooked through.

Time for the action. make sure you have enough oil (like 3 tbsps if using 1 kg of chicken), and add in 2 dried bay leaves to splutter. When it has done its job, tip in the chicken in its marinade, season with salt and turn the heat right up. Don't add water now. The chicken should reach a boiling point and cook for a sufficient amount of time, until the curry paste is looking lovely and brown, and has released oil. At this point, add in some storebought spice-mix you want to add (eg: garam masala; you could also used powdered clove-cassia-cardamom instead). Add the potatoes, and hot water to just cover everything. Check seasoning, cover and cook until everything is tender.

Lastly, sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve over rice. The gravy could be made more oozy or dry, it is your wish :)