Put all the spices under the spice blend section in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind them alternating pulsing or whizzing. You will get approximately 1 ½ tsp of the spice blend.
Using a sharp knife, score the chicken pieces with 1-inch slits.
In a mixing bowl add in yoghurt, red chilli powder, spice blend, ginger and garlic paste, chicken pieces, salt to taste and combine them. Cover with a lid and marinate for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cook the Chicken ( Morog)
Put in Almonds in a small bowl, pour water and soak the almonds for 30 minutes.
Heat oil and Ghee in your dutch oven over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low, add all the whole spices and give a quick stir for a few seconds to release the aroma from the whole spices.
Add the sliced onion, sprinkle salt and over medium heat fry the onion until developed golden brown colour. Once done, remove about 2-3 tbsp of fried onion from the dutch oven for garnishing and spread it on a kitchen tissue lined plate.
Next, add marinated chicken in the dutch oven and mix with the onion. Increase the heat to high, cook each side for 2 minutes, then flip the other side of the chicken pieces and cook for another 2 minutes on high heat. This way, chicken pieces will develop a golden brown colour and a crispy texture, but also chicken will release some moisture.
At this point, add 1 cup of boiling water, give a stir to mix everything well, then over high heat cook for a minute.
Once the liquid comes to a rolling boil reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and give a stir so that the inner bottom doesn’t stick. Put the lid back and continue cooking or until the chicken is almost cooked through.
Meanwhile, remove the soaked almond skin, put them in a grinder, add a little bit of water to make a paste.
Once the chicken is almost cooked, add the almond paste and 1 tsp Kewra water. Mix everything well and over high heat cook for another 3-4 minutes,
Don’t wash the Dutch oven, start cooking rice in it.
Cook Rice ( Polao)
First, drain the soaked rice and place them on a fine sieve.
Next, add oil and Ghee in the Dutch oven, wait for a few seconds then add all the whole spices. Stir the spices over medium heat till the aroma released from them.
Then add sliced onion, sprinkle salt and fry over medium-high heat till the onion developed a lightly brown colour.
Add rice, sprinkle a little bit salt and keep stirring the rice for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Don’t walk away at this point; else you may end up with burnt rice.
Now, add 3 ½ cups of boiling water, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover the cooking pot with a lid, turn off the heat and set the timer for 5 minutes.
Layer the Morog Polao
Uncover the pot, gently remove half of the parboiled or half-cooked rice from the dutch oven to a mixing bowl.
Add the cooked chicken and all the gravy in the dutch oven and spread it well.
Next, drizzle milk, Kewra water, raisins, sugar.
Add the remaining rice, garnish the top with fried onion. Put the lid on and set the dutch oven at the stovetop’s lowest possible setting for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes turn off the heat and wait for another 10 to 15 minutes before serving, serve hot with Bengali garden salad.
Video
Notes
Marinate The Chicken
If you do meal prep, then you can freeze the marinated chicken. And the day before you cook the Morog Polao, transfer the chicken into the refrigerator.