Posto Murgi Recipe | Bengali Chicken Curry with Poppy Seed Paste
Posto Murgi is a Bengali chicken curry featuring poppy seedpaste, known in Bengali as "posto bata." This signature dish is notonly easy to prepare but also comes together in under 30 minutes. Intrigued? Keep reading!
For this recipe, you'll need basic curry-cut chicken, making sure to remove the skin. Wash and pat the chicken dry.
Begin by marinating the chicken. Mix it with 1 tablespoon each of ginger paste and garlic paste, half of the tawk doi or plain yogurt, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Let this sit for 10 minutes.
While the chicken marinates, prepare the posto bata.
I typically use 100g of posto for 1kg of chicken. If you prefer a lighter dish or want to save money, as posto can be expensive, feel free to use less.
First, soak the posto in water for 10 minutes.
Then, drain the water and blend the soaked posto with 2 green chilies and ¼ teaspoon of salt until it forms a smooth paste.
A mixer grinder works well for this, but you can also use a traditional mortar and pestle.
Next, slice the onions thinly.
I use two large onions for 1kg of chicken; adjust the quantity if you're using smaller onions. I prefer red onions for their strong flavor.
Heat 4 tablespoons of mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or wok- kadhai.
Once the oil changes color, add the sliced onion.
Fry the onion until it turns light pink; be careful not to overfry it, as this will make the curry bitter.
Next, add the marinated chicken and mix it in.
Now, add 5-6 green chilies (I use sliced chilies) and mix again.
Cook this on a medium flame for about 5 minutes. You will notice the chicken starting to release its moisture at this point.
Once the chicken has released all its moisture, stir in the posto bata. Mix everything well and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.
Next, add the rest of the plain yogurt / Tawk Doi.
You can also add more green chilies if you like extra spice, but this is optional. I do.
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Then, pour in ½ cup of hot water and mix.
Do not add water at room temperature - it will make the chicken chewy.
Now, add ½ teaspoon of salt.
Remember to adjust this amount, as salt was already used when marinating the chicken and preparing the posto bata.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
After that, remove the lid and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked but still holds its shape.
Be careful not to overcook it; a total of 20 minutes of cooking after adding the chicken should be enough.
Finally, when the gravy reaches your preferred thickness – neither runny nor thick, add a tablespoon of mustard oil for its distinct sharp taste, though this is optional.
Mix well and turn off the heat.
Your Posto Murgi is now ready. Before serving, cover the pan with a lid and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
For this recipe, I suggest using bone-in, skinless chicken pieces cut for curry.
You can adjust the amount of poppy seeds to your liking. I find that 100 grams of poppy seeds for 1 kilogram of chicken gives a balanced flavor.
I use a good number of green chilies in this dish, so feel free to adjust the amount based on your spice preference. I choose not to use red chilies because I prefer the color of the dish without them.
Mustard oil is essential for my version of this recipe. However, if you cannot find it or dislike its strong taste, any neutral-flavored oil will work.
Avoid strong spices like cumin powder, coriander powder, or garam masala. The simple reason is to ensure they don't overpower the main flavor of the posto.