Chicken Tehari
Tehari is an authentic Bangladeshi dish originating in Old Dhaka. There are many versions of tehari popular in South Asia, but the Dhakai Tehari is mainly a rice dish that is always made with beef and cooked in mustard oil. Tehari is a lot less fussy than biryani, and has a unique taste contributed by the green chilies and mustard oil.
Growing up in old Dhaka Tehari was something that we ate frequently, especially for brunch. This particular recipe is my family recipe that I have adapted and tweaked. I like to make my Tehari with boneless chicken thighs, cut in small pieces, and my preferred rice is kalijira. Kalijira is a Bengali short grain rice, famous for its delicious aroma and mouthwatering taste. I highly recommend using a short grain Bengali fragrant rice such as kalijira or chinigura. However, you can also make this dish with basmati rice, and it would still taste marvelous. I hope you give this recipe a try sometimes and relish this delightful dish.
Kitchen Notes:
Mustard oil is very popular in Bengali cooking. However, in the United States the sale of mustard oil for edible purposes is prohibited. Please read this article https://bit.ly/2CIWDuf for information.
Feel free to use any neutral oil or olive oil if mustard oil is not available.
Do not slit the green chilies. The green chilies is only to add flavor to the dish and not make it hot.
INGREDIENTS
For Chicken
2 lbs Boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into small pieces ¾ cup Mustard oil 1 Black Cardamom 1 stick Cinnamon 2-3 Green Cardamom 2-3 Cloves ½ cup Onions paste 2 Tbsp Ginger paste 1 Tbsp Garlic paste 1 tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Cumin powder ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper ½ tsp Red Chili powder ¼ tsp Nutmeg powder ¼ tsp Mace powder ½ cup Greek Yogurt, mixed with 1 tsp Sugar ½ cup water 1 Tbsp Tomato ketchup 2 tsp Salt or to taste 5-8 Thai green chilies
For Rice
3 cups of Aromatic Rice (Chinigura, Kalijeera Rice or Basmati Rice) 4 cups of Warm Water 1 cup of Milk 1 tsp Salt or to taste 5-8 Thai green chilies 2-3 drops of Kewra Essence (optional)
METHOD
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat. Add bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
Add the onion paste and fry till they turn golden. Then add the ginger and garlic paste.
Next add chicken pieces and salt. Mix well and cook for 3-4 of minutes.
Add the nutmeg powder, mace powder, black pepper powder and yogurt (mixed with sugar). Mix well and add water. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes on medium-high flame. Stir the chicken occasionally.
Once the water evaporates and the chicken is fully cooked, add the ketchup and the chilies. Mix well and take it off heat after 2-3 minutes.
Separate the chicken pieces keeping the gravy and spices in the pot. Set aside the chicken pieces.
Add the remaining water, milk and salt to the pot, and bring it to a simmering boil.
Add the washed and drained rice and cover it. Once the water comes to a boils again, add the whole green chilies, kewra essence and cook on medium flame.
When rice is about 75% done, add the chicken. Mix carefully so that rice does not break and disintegrate. Cook covered for 15-20 minutes on low flame. Alternatively, at this point you can also cook the Tehari in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot with a side of cucumber and tomato salad.
