What’s Stewing?

I am getting more and more fixated with fast and easy recipes. Surprisingly for the husband and my friends who know me, I was probably someone who could not have reached a culinary hiatus. At least P still believes I have mystery remaining in my spice bottles. But I am exhausted from all the time-taking, involved cooking I had been hitherto doing. Hence this Chicken Stew which essentially is a Bengali recipe but without all those complicated spices.

The Calcutta Chicken Stew is a comfort food which you can have in your PJs, snuggled in your couch with some fresh bread.

I used about six chicken drumsticks, skinless. I roughly chopped a medium size red onion. Diced vegetables like cauliflower, potato, carrot, and broccoli. Snipped off the ends of green beans and cut them in halves.
Heat butter (unsalted) in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté them for 5 minutes.  Add the chicken drumsticks (you can even use thigh portions or pieces of lamb). Cook until the chicken browns.

Add all the vegetables and 4-5 cloves of garlic and 1 inch ginger cut coarsely.

I do add a stick of cinnamon, two black cardamoms, 2 bay leaves and few whole black peppercorns for that deliciously earthy flavor in the stew. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

I like to cut my tomatoes right on the pot of the stew. I added two ripe hothouse tomatoes to the vegetables and meat.

Add enough water to drench all the ingredients and cover the pot. Keep stirring till you see all the vegetables and the meat cooked but not mushy.

Add half cup of sweet baby peas. I did not add them while cooking the stew as I wanted them to retain their green and not get mashed up with the other hardy vegetables.

Finish off with a dollop of butter and some more freshly cracked black pepper. You could also add some freshly chopped cilantro to the stew.

Ladle the stew out piping hot in serving bowls and serve with pieces of bread.