Chicken Korma

Korma is a kind of thick curry primarily made of yoghurt, cream and nuts. It has a mild yet rich taste which is a hallmark of Mughlai cuisine.

When I invited one of our local American friend and his Russian wife I wasn’t sure what to cook for them. He wanted to have “real” Indian food and not the americanized version available locally. I chose Korma for them, whose authentic version itself is mild enough for the American palate, yet is extremely tasty. They liked it a lot and wanted the recipe. I had to write it up for them at 2 in the morning :)

Ingredients

1. 2 lb. skinless chicken on bone
2. 1 cup thick yogurt
3. 2 medium sized onion sliced
4. 9-10 Almonds blanched and slivered
5. 20 golden raisins
6. 2 tbsp. garlic paste
7. 1 tbsp. ginger paste
8. 1 tsp. coriander powder
9. 1 tsp. cumin powder
10. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
11. 2 tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
12. 1 tsp. pepper powder
13. 1/2 tsp. mace ( jawitri ) powder
14. 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (Jaifal ) powder
15. 1 tsp. cinnamon powder
16. Half cup chopped coriander leaves
17. Salt
18. Sugar

Procedure

Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste. Allow it to rest for half an hour.

Heat oil in a pan and fry onion slices till the edges turn brown. Remove them and drain on a paper towel. In a blender take half of the fried onions, almonds and golden raisins and make a smooth paste by adding 1/4 cup of water. Keep it handy for later use.

In a mixing bowl take yogurt and add coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili, black pepper, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon powder, salt and sugar. Whisk until smooth.

Heat oil in a pan and temper with whole pepper corn. When the pepper corns start crackling add chicken pieces in a layer and fry till both sides become light brown. Remove and keep on a plate.

Now to the same oil add cinnamon and pods of cardamom. Add the almond, raisin and onion paste and fry till oil separates out from the spices.

Remove the pan from heat and wait for a minute or two till it cools down a little. This is the time when you add the yogurt mixture. Stir well to mix and bring it back to medium heat. 

Add the fried chicken pieces to the gravy and let it simmer on medium low heat. Cook it till the chicken is tender. Usually it takes about 30 mins to get it done.

Adjust the seasoning and finish with fried onions and chopped cilantro.