A Durga Puja Feast at Home: The Tagores’ Special Filipino Chicken Curry

A Durga Puja Feast at Home: Durga Puja is a time for celebration, devotion, and, of course, delicious food. While many of us love to hop from pandal to pandal, the long lines at restaurants can often make an appetite disappear. Instead of navigating the crowds, why not turn your own kitchen into a gourmet destination? This year, you can treat your family and friends to a unique and flavorful dish: the Tagore family’s special Filipino Chicken Curry.

This recipe is a delightful departure from traditional Bengali cuisine, blending the rich, creamy flavors of the Philippines with the comfort of a home-cooked meal. It’s surprisingly simple to prepare, requiring just a handful of ingredients and minimal cooking time—perfect for when you’re tired after a day of pandal hopping.

Why Filipino Chicken Curry?

Filipino cuisine is known for its incredible depth of flavor, often balancing sweet, sour, and savory notes. This curry, or Kari, as it’s known in the Philippines, gets its luscious texture from coconut milk and a gentle warmth from black pepper. The addition of vinegar provides a subtle tang that cuts through the richness, creating a beautifully balanced and moreish dish. It’s a wonderful way to introduce a new flavor profile to your Puja menu.

Ready to cook? Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg chicken, cut into pieces
2. 1½ cups coconut milk
3. 1 cup finely chopped onions
4. 2 tbsp butter
5. 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
6. Salt and sugar, to taste
7. 1 tbsp black pepper powder
8. 1 tbsp vinegar
9. Cooking oil

Instructions:

In a large bowl, marinate the chicken pieces with the ginger-garlic paste, black pepper powder, and salt. Mix everything thoroughly. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for about an hour.

Heat some cooking oil in a pan. Add a pinch of sugar and the chopped onions. Fry the onions until they are a beautiful golden brown, then remove them and set aside.

In the same pan, add the marinated chicken. Pour in some water, cover, and let the chicken cook until it’s tender.

Once the chicken is cooked, let all the water evaporate. Add the butter and sauté the chicken well. Continue to cook until the chicken pieces start to develop a reddish-brown color.

Now, pour in the coconut milk, add the fried onions, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Stir everything together.

Cook on medium heat for about five minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.

And that’s it! Your special Filipino Chicken Curry is ready to be served. This dish pairs perfectly with steamed rice or a simple pulao. It’s a quick, easy, and incredibly flavorful meal that’s sure to become a new favorite in your Durga Puja tradition.

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