Dhakai Chicken Roast

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During my childhood, weddings were celebrated with extensive feasting for few days. These events were organized at home, with the involvement of almost everyone in the family. Besides, the extended family would arrive and station themselves in the family home for a few days. There were no event planners, no caterers, no event halls or venues at that time. The work would be distributed amongst everyone in the house. I and my cousins being quiet young then, were given the responsibility of moving small things like utensils, flowers from one place to another. Despite all that, we always had great fun and camaraderie.

Huge meals of kalias and malaikaris would be prepared and served. Usually, the men would do the shopping and the buying, under the expert guidance of some gentlemen who were the most discerning purchasers and best bargainers. The women of the family, cheerfully worked around the clock to prepare the “tattos”(gift for groom’s family) or “jal ante jaoa”(getting water from a nearby river), halud kota, dressing up the bride etc.(Well! there was no beauty parlor then.) Men used to tie a gamchas round their waste and participate in distributing the food to the arriving guests. I have seen my father doing so number of times.
The king of the kitchen was the ‘Thakur’ or Head Chef, who did his rounds of the weddings, and always came with a batch of kitchen helpers, who would pound and grind spices, peel and chop large potatoes, clean and prepare the fish and meats.

Then came the purohit (priest) who would chant all the details of the rules and regulations to be followed for the ceremony. Whatever else remains same or have changed over time, meat and fish remains mandatory in the spread. This Dhakai chicken roast is a biyebari(marriage feast) style roast without which on the menu, a biyebari in Dhaka remains incomplete. While writing this up, the dish was a tour down my memory lane of old times when my uncle(kaku) or masi(aunt) got married.

So, here comes the recipe of the biyebari style Dhakai Chicken Roast

Dhakai chicken Roast

Course: Main course

Cuisine: Bangladeshi

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Servings: 3

Ingredients

3 whole leg pieces
1 cup of thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup of onion paste
1 tablespoon of ginger paste
2 tablespoons of garlic paste
3-4 green chilies
3 tablespoons of ghee
4 tablespoons of oil
8-10 cashew nuts soaked in water and made into paste
2-3 cashew nuts split for garnishing
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Kewra water
1 teaspoon of Rose water
4-5 strands of saffron (optional)
3 tablespoons of yogurt
1/3 cup of whole milk
2-3 bay leaves
1 inch of cinnamon stick broken into pieces
4-5 cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 teaspoons of red chili powder
3 teaspoons of roast powder

For roast powder

21/2 tablespoons of cardamom pods
21/2 tablespoons of cinnamon sticks
11/2 tablespoons of sahi jeera
1 teaspoon of mace
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 nutmeg

Huh!!! I know, it is lot of ingredients. But also you do not have this roast everyday. And a biyebari style dish had to be grand.

Directions

Dry roast all the spices listed under “for roast powder” and grind them to a fine powder.
Make cuts on the chicken legs. Marinade the chicken with salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder particularly rubbing the spices in the cuts.
Keep the chicken aside for about 1 hour.
In a kadai, take the oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot, fry the thinly sliced onions to golden and keep them aside.
To the same oil, add the marinated chicken pieces. You need not fry them. Wait till the chicken turns golden brown on one side and then gently flip the chicken piece to do the same with the other side.
Repeat with all the chicken pieces and keep them aside.
In a bowl mix the yogurt, onion paste, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
Now, add ghee to the kadai. temper the oil with bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cardamom pieces.
As the oil turns aromatic, add the spice mix to the kadai. Also, add the green chilies to the kadai.
Add salt and sugar, keeping in mind that you have marinated the chicken with salt.
Continue cooking till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.
Now, add the chicken pieces to the kadai along with half a cup of water.
Toss everything properly in the kadai and cook the chicken covered. As the chicken releases lot of water, you will not have to add any more water to the kadai.
Continue cooking the chicken covered on medium flame with occasional stirring at intervals.
After some time, add the cashew paste, the beresta(you can keep few strands for garnishing) and the milk along with the saffron strands and continue cooking the chicken. Do not forget to stir at intervals. (It took around 35-40 minutes after adding the chicken pieces to the spices)
As all of the water is evaporated and oil starts floating at the top, add kewra water, rose water and the roast powder.
Toss everything properly in the kadai and turn off the flame.
Serve Dhakai chicken roast with fried rice, polao or steamed rice.

Step by step instructions to prepare Chicken Dhakai Roast

Make cuts on the chicken legs. Marinade the chicken with salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder particularly rubbing the spices in the cuts. Keep the chicken aside for about 1 hour.

In a kadai, take the oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot, fry the thinly sliced onions to golden and keep them aside.

To the same oil, add the marinated chicken pieces. You need not fry them. Wait till the chicken turns golden brown on one side and then gently flip the chicken piece to do the same with the other side. Repeat with all the chicken pieces and keep them aside.

In a bowl mix the yogurt, onion paste, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder and red chili powder.

Now, add ghee to the kadai. temper the oil with bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cardamom pieces.

As the oil turns aromatic, add the spice mix to the kadai. Also, add the green chilies to the kadai. Add salt and sugar, keeping in mind that you have marinated the chicken with salt. Continue cooking till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.

Now, add the chicken pieces to the kadai along with half a cup of water. Toss everything properly in the kadai and cook the chicken covered. As the chicken releases lot of water, you will not have to add any more water to the kadai. Continue cooking the chicken covered on medium flame with occasional stirring at intervals.

After some time, add the cashew paste, the beresta (you can keep few strands for garnishing) and the milk along with the saffron strands and continue cooking the chicken. Do not forget to stir at intervals. (It took around 35-40 minutes after adding the chicken pieces to the spices)

As all of the water is evaporated and oil starts floating at the top, add kewra water, rose water and the roast powder.

Toss everything properly in the kadai and turn off the flame. Serve Dhakai chicken roast with fried rice, polao or steamed rice.

Thank you for stopping by. If you like the recipe do not forget to hit like. If you prepare this dish and publish your photos on Facebook and Instagram do tag #theepicureanfeast. Also for queries, you can mail me epicureanfeast2019@gmail.com