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Morog Polao

This Bengali Chicken Rice called Morog Polao is not only an incredible one-pot wonder but also a crowd pleaser! A great inclusion on the holiday feasting table or for your weekend special lunch or dinner.

By Shyamali Sinha ·

This Bengali Chicken Rice called Morog Polao is not only an incredible one-pot wonder but also a crowd-pleaser! It’s a great inclusion on the holiday feasting table or for your weekend special lunch or dinner. The fragrance is everything in this dish, and I promise you will get all the ingredients in your local supermarket.

What is Morog Polao?

The ultimate best-known Bangladeshi chicken pilaf is loaded with flavour and requires slow cooking. The flavour is similar to Biryani, but It isn’t like chicken Biryani; it’s more gentle than Biryani. It is an aromatic, rich in flavour dish.

What do we need to make Morog Polao?

Morog polao is a Bangladeshi dish. In Bengali cuisine, excellent quality aged short-grain rice is a must.

Rice- ideally, non-starchy short-grain rice used for this pilaf, Kalijeera or Gobindo bhog rice we often use, but if you don’t get that one, use an excellent quality Basmati rice.

Chicken- Bone-in & skin off chicken big-sized Chicken pieces ( you can use drumstick pieces as well)

Fat– I prefer to use Ghee only, but you can use a combination of unflavoured white oil and Ghee. You can use unsalted butter, too!

Spices- The combination of whole and ground spices such as green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, Bayleaf, black pepper, red chilli makes the dish flavourful.

Flavour- Other than spices, onion, ginger, garlic and Kewra essence, all these are the key flavour components. If you don’t get Kewra water in your local store, use rose water or skip it.

Nuts and dry fruits- Use any nuts and dry fruits you have in your pantry. I have used almonds and raisins. You can make a nut-free version by using melon seeds.

Green chillies - Don’t think that adding green chillies will make the dish spicy. The mild acidic heat of green chilli cut the sweetness of the onion.

Pieces of equipment-

  1. 2-3 Mixing bowls

  2. Either a small grinder to make ginger and garlic paste or a Microplane grater will do the job efficiently.

  3. Wooden spatula

  4. Dutch oven - I prefer to cook all my recipes in a Dutch oven, especially the recipes that call for slow cooking. Chasseur is one of my favourite cast iron Dutch Oven that I have been using for a long time.

What to serve with Morog Polao?

Serve simple Bengali garden salad, which is basically a serving plate with sliced red onion, tomato, and cucumber. Drizzle lemon juice on top. To finish it off, sprinkle black salt and black pepper. And Voila! Enjoy your delicious one-pot wonder!

Morog Polao Morog Polao

Another easy yet delicious version of the Morog Pulao recipe

I always believe that depending on the availability of ingredients or kitchen setup, one can prepare a dish in many ways, but you will get the same taste. If you don’t get Kalijeera rice in your locality or Bengali Gorom Moshla, which is not your pantry staple, I have shared another easy yet delicious Morog Polao recipe here.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Explore a whole new world of spices with this flavoursome Bengali Chicken Rice recipe made in the Chasseur French Oven.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
45 min
Total
55 min
Serves
6

Ingredients

Method

  1. Step 1

    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.

  2. Step 2

    Using a sharp knife, score the chicken pieces with 1-inch slits.

  3. Step 3

    Add yoghurt, red chilli powder, spice blend, ginger and garlic paste, chicken pieces, and salt to taste in a mixing bowl. Cover with a lid and marinate for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter or overnight in the refrigerator.

  4. Step 4

    Put in Almonds in a small bowl, pour water and soak the almonds for 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Heat oil and Ghee in your Dutch oven over medium heat.

  6. Step 6

    Reduce the heat to low, add all the whole spices, and stir for a few seconds to release the aroma from the whole spices.

  7. Step 7

    Add the sliced onion, sprinkle salt, and fry over medium heat until it develops a 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.

  8. Step 8

    Next, add the marinated chicken to the Dutch oven and mix it 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, the chicken will develop a golden brown colour and a crispy texture, and it will also release some moisture.

  9. Step 9

    At this point, add 1 cup of boiling water, stir to mix everything well, then cook over high heat for a minute.

  10. Step 10

    Once the liquid comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover it with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Then, remove the lid and stir it so that the inner bottom doesn’t stick. Put the lid back and continue cooking or until the chicken is almost cooked through.

  11. Step 11

    Meanwhile, remove the soaked almond skin, put it in a grinder, and add a little water to make a paste.

  12. Step 12

    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,

  13. Step 13

    Don’t wash the Dutch oven; start cooking rice in it.

  14. Step 14

    First, drain the soaked rice and place them on a fine sieve.

  15. Step 15

    Next, add oil and Ghee to the Dutch oven, wait for a few seconds, and then add all the whole spices. Stir the spices over medium heat until the aroma is released from them.

  16. Step 16

    Then add the sliced onion, sprinkle with salt, and fry over medium-high heat until the onion turns a lightly brown colour.

  17. Step 17

    Add rice, sprinkle with a little salt, and keep stirring for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Don’t walk away at this point; otherwise, you may end up with burnt rice.

  18. Step 18

    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.

  19. Step 19

    Uncover the pot, and gently remove half of the parboiled or half-cooked rice from the dutch oven and transfer it to a mixing bowl.

  20. Step 20

    Add the cooked chicken and all the gravy to the Dutch oven and spread it well.

  21. Step 21

    Next, drizzle milk, Kewra water, raisins, and sugar.

  22. Step 22

    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.

  23. Step 23

    After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and wait for another 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot with Bengali garden salad.

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories699.5 kcal
  • Carbohydrate64.23 g
  • Protein26.6 g
  • Fat36.71 g
  • Saturated fat11.65 g
  • Sugar5.77 g
  • Fibre4.99 g
  • Sodium321.12 mg
  • Cholesterol128.41 mg

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