I thought making some form of Korma dish would have brought me some good karma, but alas, it didn’t, though it was a fun dish to make. Korma is a dish found in Northern India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Brought to the region during the Muslim conquests, it’s a dish traditionally made up of meats braised in a liquid such as yogurt, creme, stock, etc. It is normally known as a mild curry outside of Southern Asian – hence this one isn’t going to burn your tonsils off (if ya still got ‘em). The spices normally found in the dish are coriander, cumin, and cardamom. The version I’m used to at my local restaurant is pretty thick, creamy, and has a coconut flavor incorporated – I’m thinking this is a little far removed from the original recipe – but hey, it’s quite good. The recipe I’m featuring here is a little of old and new – though it’s not the flavor I was trying to get form the local restaurant (because honestly, every chef has his or her secret ingredients and proportions).
Ingredients
- 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ cubes
- 2 smallish onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1″ piece of ginger, peeled & chopped
- 250 ml yogurt (2% fat)
- 1 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 curry leaves (subst. bay leaves)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 4 tbp ground almonds
- 2 tsp salt, to taste
- 2 tbs of sugar, to taste
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup yellow raisins
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 3 tbs vegetable oil (or ghee)
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- In a bowl, mix chicken, yogurt, half the ginger and garlic and let it marinate for at least 6 hrs (overnight is ideal)
- In a food processor, combine onion, salt, the remaining garlic and ginger and blend until it’s smooth
- In a saucepan, heat the oil on medium and add the onion mixture. Let it sizzle for a few seconds, stir. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 10 minutes. Next, uncover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes stirring frequently
- Incorporate tumeric, coriander, cumin, curry leaves and cook through, approx 3 minutes
- Add chicken with marinade and cook for 10 minutes on medium, stirring from time to time
- Add the coconut milk, bring back to a low boil followed by the addition of the ground almonds and garam masala
- Let it simmer on low for 10 minutes before adding the raisins and sliced almonds. Continue simmering for
another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (salt, sugar).
Note: This dish is often made with lamb or chicken. If your sauce is too thin, you can add additional ground almonds. Otherwise, a more westernized approach is to add thick cream. Service this with Basmati rice, or lovely fluffy naan bread.
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