Bhujing, the iconic chicken from Virar

Barnali Pal Sinha

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A strong aroma of roasted chicken fills the air, along with garam masala. You know you are in Agashi in Virar on the outskirts of Mumbai. Ever heard of chicken bhujing? Bet you haven’t! It is an iconic and zesty street food from Virar. This unusual dish comprises roasted chicken, flattened rice or poha and potatoes. It also has lots of onions and garam masala along with a secret masala, which gives the dish its unique flavour. 

The bhujing is nothing but the process of roasting chicken with potatoes on charcoal fire and then mixing it with poha. It can be had as an appetizer or even as a main course dish. The word ‘bhujing’ originated from the Marathi word ‘bhujne’, which means roasting. It was later converted to 'bhujing' due to the British influence.

Agashi Bhujing Centre in Virar is the place where the recipe originated in 1940. One day, Babu Hari Gawad cooked chicken bhujing on the request of his friends as a starter to go along with ‘tadi’ or local alcohol. It was immensely liked by his family and friends. He started the Agashi Bhujing Centre in 1949, which is now run by his son Sudhakar Babu Gawad and grandson Chirag. 

Though bhujing is made in many parts of Mumbai, the chicken bhujing in Agashi Bhujing Centre is unparalleled in taste. “A magic masala is added to the bhujing, which enhances its taste and flavour. The masala is made by us,” said Sudhakar Gawad. 

Variety to choose from 

There’s a variety of bhujing to choose — boneless chicken bhujing, special chicken bhujing and now the mutton bhujing. Besides, they also make chicken tikka, chicken and mutton rassa (gravy). They don’t sell by plate but by kilos, so a kg of chicken bhujing will set you back by Rs 320. The least you can buy is half kg. On stepping inside the kitchen, six people can be 

seen busy separating raw chicken pieces. The raw chicken is marinated with turmeric, cumin and coriander powders. Along with sliced potato roundels, the marinated chicken is adjusted in the skewers and roasted. The chicken is roasted for around 10 minutes or more on a large brick kiln with open coal fire. The meat gradually turns a nice red colour. After roasting, the chicken is then shallow fried with onions and stored inside containers of one kg each. 

Gawad says they get their stock of chicken from a poultry farm that uses a US-based technology. He says they make chicken bhujing thrice a day, 50kg at a time, making it approximately 150kg per day. The Agashi Bhujing Centre buys its spices from Navsari in Gujarat. The poha is sourced from Madhya Pradesh. “The spices in the bhujing are hand-pounded,” says Gawad. He adds he could have automated the process and opened branches, but the originality and flavour of the dish would have been lost. 

When a customer comes in to pick up a parcel, Gawad reheats the chicken, adds a few handfuls of poha and a fair amount of garam masala in it. The garam masala consists of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, dry red chillies and dry coconut. The oil from the chicken absorbs into the poha, which gets cooked perfectly in the heat. The chicken bhujing is replete with distinct bursting flavours, an amalgamation of spicy and smoky. 

Massive demand 

Agashi Bhujing Centre caters huge orders. Their bhujing is a hit at the Mantralaya. From politicians like Sharad Pawar, to chefs, to businessmen and locals, bhujing is loved by everyone. The eatery now gets orders to export chicken bhujing abroad! They export to cities like Dubai regularly, and even to New York. They cook the required amount of the dish, freeze it and send it to their customers abroad. 

Though they have been awarded a trademark for their bhujing, there is tough competition from many players nearby. The chicken bhujing has evolved over the years  — Richard Correia runs the King Bhujing Corner (KBC ) close by. 

“We use modern equipments, superior ingredients and latest cooking techniques to enrich the aroma and taste of chicken bhujing. Sunflower oil, which is healthy, is used for preparing the bhujing. Our packaging is also environment friendly,” says Correia. KBC got the bhujing out from the small lanes and bylanes of Agashi to Mumbai. “We want more people from outside Virar-Vasai to enjoy the taste of bhujing, which has a typical Maharashtrian flavour. We are very particular about quality, cleanliness and hygiene,” adds Correia. 

Next time you are craving for something spicy, and a dish which has a story of its own, head straight to Agashi in Virar.

How it is prepared

• The raw chicken is marinated with turmeric, cumin and coriander powders. 
• Along with sliced potato roundels, the marinated chicken is skewered and roasted. The chicken is roasted for around 10 minutes on a large brick kiln with open coal fire.
• After the roasting, the chicken is shallow fried with onions. It is then mixed with flattened rice. Finally, a magic masala is added to give it the desired taste and flavour.