Fennel-Kissed Chicken Simmered in a Ginger-Poppy Seed Sauce

I like to serve this Bengali curry with Bengal’s well-kept secret, a short-grain rice known as Govindo bhog, which has a sweetish flavor and slightly starchy appearance. Indian stores carry this variety of rice, as do some specialty gourmet stores and mail-order sources. The creamy-tasting rice offsets the assertive curry’s gusto to create a balanced meal.