Bangladesh Curry

Introduction

This Bangladesh curry combines fresh tomatoes, yoghurt, and warm spices to build a balanced sauce that cooks chicken to tender, flavourful results in under an hour. The recipe walks you through blanching and peeling tomatoes by hand, which removes bitterness and yields a cleaner sauce than canned. Serve it over rice with fresh coriander scattered on top.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4-6 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cm (1-inch) piece ginger root
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 mild green chillies
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• Salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water
• 1 free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 thighs and/or drumsticks
• 2 tbsp yoghurt
• 1 lime (or lemon)
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves
• Cooked rice, to serve

Instructions

1. To skin the tomatoes, nick the skin of each tomato with the point of a sharp knife, then put the tomatoes in a bowl next to the sink and pour over some very hot water from the kettle to cover. Count to 20, then carefully pour away the water. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel away the skin, halve the tomatoes, squeeze out most of the pips and juice into an empty bowl, and discard. Chop the flesh roughly and put it down on a plate to one side.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the onion in the vegetable oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time so that it turns an even golden brown. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the ginger and the garlic.
4. Slit the chilli using a sharp knife. Slice the flesh away from the cluster of seeds in the middle. Avoid touching any part of the chilli with your fingers if you can, as it is very easy to get chilli in your eyes, and that will sting. You can use a fork to hold the chilli down or wear rubber gloves. Chop the chilli finely.
5. Measure the ground spices into a teacup. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli to the pan, stir them around and fry for another minute or so. If you want your curry to be hot as well as spicy, include some or all of the chilli seeds. Then add the spices in the cup into the onions. Fry the spices for a minute or two, stirring all the time so that they do not stick. Add some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Pour in the water and the tomatoes, bring to the boil, turn down the heat a little and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes.
7. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and stir them around so they are covered with the sauce. Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat down and let the chicken cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chicken thighs will take longer to cook than breast pieces.
8. Now add the yoghurt to the chicken and stir it in. When the sauce is gently bubbling again, scoop up a little in a teaspoon, blow it cool and taste it. The sauce will probably taste quite sweet because of the tomatoes. Cut the lime in half and squeeze its juice into the sauce. Stir and taste again, and decide whether you want to add the second half.
9. Finally, chop the fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle them on to the curry just before you serve it with the rice.

Variations

Use chicken breast instead of thighs. Breast meat cooks faster (20–25 minutes instead of 30–40), so start checking for doneness at the earlier end and don’t overcook it, or it will dry out.

Swap the yoghurt for coconut milk. Use the same 2 tbsp amount for a creamier, slightly less tangy sauce; the flavour becomes richer but the acidity from the lime becomes more important to balance it.

Add potatoes or cauliflower. Dice 2–3 medium potatoes or cut 1 small head of cauliflower into florets and add them to the pan along with the chicken; they’ll cook in the same 30–40 minute window.

Increase the chilli for heat. Add a third green chilli or include all the seeds from the ones you use; the spice will build without changing the cooking time or texture.

Finish with coconut instead of fresh coriander. Toast ¼ cup of desiccated coconut in a dry pan until golden and scatter it over the finished curry for nuttiness and texture contrast.

Tips for Success

Don’t rush the onion browning. A full 10 minutes of gentle frying builds sweetness and depth; if you speed it up, the spices added later will taste thin and sharp.

Bloom your spices. Frying the ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric in the hot pan for 1–2 minutes before adding the tomatoes and water unlocks their flavour; skipping this step makes them taste dusty.

Check chicken doneness by piercing the thickest part. If the juices run clear (not pink), it’s done; chicken thighs are more forgiving than breast and stay moist even if slightly overdone.

Taste and adjust acidity last. Squeeze in lime juice gradually and taste after each addition—the yoghurt and tomatoes are already sweet, so lime balances the dish without overpowering it.

Let the sauce reduce slightly if it looks thin. If after 40 minutes of cooking the sauce still looks watery, remove the lid, turn the heat up slightly, and simmer for another 5 minutes; it will thicken as it cools.

Storage and Reheating

Store the cooled curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavours meld and improve on the second day.

FAQ

Can I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh? Yes, use one 400 g tin of crushed tomatoes in place of fresh; skip the blanching and peeling step and reduce the simmering time by half since canned tomatoes are already soft.

What if the sauce breaks or looks separated after I add the yoghurt? This happens if the heat is too high. Lower the heat so the sauce barely bubbles, stir gently, and it will usually come back together; if not, a pinch of cornstarch mixed with a little water and stirred in will stabilize it.

Can I make this ahead? Yes, prepare the curry completely up to the point before adding the yoghurt, cool it, and refrigerate it overnight. When ready to serve, reheat gently, add the yoghurt, and finish with lime and coriander.

Is there a substitute if I don’t have fresh ginger and garlic? Ground ginger (½ tsp) and garlic powder (½ tsp) work as emergency swaps, though the curry will taste slightly less bright; add them with the spices in the teacup and fry for the same time.