This fiery chicken curry was born on ancient Bengal’s river steamers

Goalondo Ghater Murgi, a rustic chicken curry once cooked by Muslim boatmen on overnight steamers, remains a distinctive part of Bengal’s culinary heritage, known for its pungent mustard oil, fiery chillies and thin, reddish gravy

Goalondo Ghater Murgi is a fiery, mustard oil-rich chicken curry with a thin red gravy

Goalondo Ghater Murgi: The Bengali chicken curry that rose to fame on river steamers

Updated on:

13 Oct 2026, 3:46 pm

2 min read

Goalondo Ghater Murgi is a delicious chicken curry with a distinct flavour, which was first made on river boats in undivided Bengal during the late 19th century. This dish was prepared by Muslims on the river boats sailing between the two stations, and it started as an ordinary meal consisting of rice and chicken. Later on, people were attracted towards its aroma, and they started purchasing it from the boats.

Goalondo Ghater Murgi: How a boatmen’s meal became a culinary legacy

Goalondo Ghat was an important station on the route between the convergence point of the Padma and Brahmaputra rivers. People who used to travel from Calcutta to Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong, and Assam would use rail to go to Goalondo and take steamers to go to Narayanganj and then resume their travels using rail transport. This gave birth to the environment for the creation of the curry.

Food was prepared by the boatmen in temporary kitchen arrangements using simple ingredients which could easily be used on board a ship. These ingredients consisted of mustard oil, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and red chillies. Green chillies have also been used in many preparations, while shrimp paste and fish sauce have also been used in some recipes.

The uniqueness of Goalondo Ghater Murgi lies in its taste and appearance. It has a red gravy with very little thickness and usually with a covering of mustard oil.

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It has an extremely hot and spicy flavour that is balanced by the spiciness of the chillies and the pungency of the mustard oil. Softened onions help create the gravy, while the ginger and garlic add depth. Bone-in country chicken is often preferred for its rustic character.

The process of preparing the dish is also quite simple. After marinating the chicken with the base for about 30 minutes, it is cooked in a covered pot over medium heat following an initial high-heat process. The traditional recipe is based on moisture generated from the chicken and onions without using any water. The cooking process normally takes 20-30 minutes.

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Bengali food