Korma (Qorma) - Royalty of all Curries
The Royalty of all curries, Korma (Qorma). Not only does this curry taste divine, it is well documented too due to its historical association with the "Shahi" (Royal) Court of the Indian subcontinent.
If you haven’t fallen in love with the curries yet, then now’s the time…. I present to you the Royalty of all curries, the Korma (Qorma). Not only does this curry taste divine, but it is also well-documented too due to its historical association with the Shahi (Royal) Courts of the Indian subcontinent.
Now a little bit about the flavour of Korma. It is creamy and dreamy, based on a mixture of spices like ground nutmeg, mace, aniseed, golden poppy seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom pods, garam masala, red chilli and paprika combined with garlic, ginger, golden fried onions and yoghurt, cooked at a low temperature to avoid curdling, cooked slowly and carefully with the meat and its juices, ideally without adding any extra water, finally adding a helping of ground nuts and cream as a thickening agent, making it a melt-in-the-mouth curry! A Korma can be mildly spiced or fiery and may use lamb, chicken, or beef and it is not an everyday indulgence. usually cooked to mark a happy or sad occasion.
Ten months of me blogging recipes! ….and I’ve kept it under wraps, But no more now… 😊 on your demand here is the most delicious and prestigious curry of all time. The Korma and I made it with the Chicken this time! 😍
History Korma has its roots in the Mughlai cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. A characteristic Mughal dish, it can be traced back to the 16th century and to the Mughal expansion into South Asia. Kormas were often prepared in the Mughal court kitchens, such as the famous white korma, perhaps garnished with vark, said to have been served to Shah Jahan and his guests at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal. (source Wikipedia)
Now a little bit about the flavour of Korma. It is creamy and dreamy, based on a mixture of spices like ground nutmeg, mace, aniseed, golden poppy seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom pods, garam masala, red chilli and paprika combined with garlic, ginger, golden fried onions and yoghurt, cooked at a low temperature to avoid curdling, cooked slowly and carefully with the meat and its juices, ideally without adding any extra water, finally adding a helping of ground nuts and cream as a thickening agent, making it a melt-in-the-mouth curry! A Korma can be mildly spiced or fiery and may use lamb, chicken, or beef and it is not an everyday indulgence. usually cooked to mark a happy or sad occasion.
Ten months of me blogging recipes! ….and I’ve kept it under wraps, But no more now… 😊 on your demand here is the most delicious and prestigious curry of all time. The Korma and I made it with the Chicken this time! 😍Ingredients
- 1 chicken skinned, small pieces.
- 4-5 tbsp oil or ghee or half of both more to fry onions
- 2 medium size onions thinly sliced
- 6-8 garlic cloves paste
- 2 inch ginger paste
- 2-3 bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole
- 5-6 peppercorn and cardamoms pods whole
- 1 tsp cumin seed (Zeera/Jeera) whole
- 1 tbsp paprika or Kashmiri mirach for colour powdered
- 1 tsp red chilli powdered
- 1 ½ tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg (jaifal) powdered
- ½ tsp mace (javitri) powdered
- 1 tsp aniseed or fennel seed (sounf) powdered
- 1 tbsp golden/white poppy seeds (khaskhash) powdered
- ½ tbsp garam masala powdered
- 1 tsp cardamom powdered
- ½-¾ cup yoghurt thick or Greek
- 6 to 7 almonds paste blanched and skin removed
- 2 tbsp cream optional
- 2 tbsp kewra water
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fry the onions in a deep pan on low heat to golden brown, cool it down by spreading it on a kitchen towel. keep it aside to be used later.
- I use the store-bought powdered spices to save time but recommend freshly grinding mace, nutmeg, aniseed and poppy seeds to the powder for the Korma (Qorma). keep it aside.
- In the same pan heat 4-5 tbsp. oil or ghee or half of both, add the whole spices and stir fry the chicken with it on low to medium heat for a couple of minutes.
- Add the ginger garlic paste, salt & pepper along with coriander powder, cardamom powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, paprika and 1 tbsp. of freshly powdered spices. Stir to mix and keep the heat, medium to low.
- While the chicken is frying away, grind the almond, fried onions with yoghurt to a fine paste. Pour the yoghurt paste into the chicken. Mix it well once again. It should be a runny yoghurt curry at this stage if it is too dry add a small splash of water. Cover it completely to steam-cook it for 20 minutes on low heat.
- After 20 minutes, Uncover and continue to cook further for a few minutes or until the water evaporates and the oil surfaces. Avoid stirring it too much at this stage as the chicken is soft and falling off the bone, give your pan a gentle shake or two instead. see video
- Finally, add a splash or two of cream and kewra water. Check for seasoning, adjust and switch off the heat. Garnish with some freshly chopped coriander and serve it with naan or chapatti.
