Name: Chicken Korma
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 500g chicken; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; 3 tbsp natural yoghurt; 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; ¾–1 tsp garam masala; 1–1¼ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; ½ tsp sea salt; 1½ tbsp vegetable oil; 2 cardamom pods; 2 medium onions, sliced; 10 cashew nuts; 60g natural yoghurt; 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 Indian bay leaf; 4 cloves; 5cm cinnamon stick; 1 cardamom pod; 1–2 green chillies, slit or chopped; 120ml water, hot; ¼ tsp salt; ½–¾ tsp garam masala; 1½ tsp ground coriander; ¼ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

Method

Marinate: in a mixing bowl, combine the , , , , , and . Mix well to coat the chicken, cover and set aside.
Make the korma paste: heat the in a pan and add the and . Sauté until golden brown and starting to caramelise, but not burnt.
Add the and leave to cool. Blend to a smooth paste with the .
Cook the chicken: heat the in the same pan and add the whole spices: , , and . When they sizzle, add the and the chicken. Sauté over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes.
Make the korma: add the onion paste, , , and the for a deeper colour, if using. Stir in the and bring to the boil.
Cover and cook over a medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked through and you see traces of oil on top of the sauce.
If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little hot water and simmer; if it’s too runny, cook uncovered over a high heat for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the salt.
Garnish with and serve with jeera rice, plain basmati, naan, roti or paratha.

Notes

The whole spices add aroma but are hard to find in the sauce later, so leave them out if you’d rather not bite into them.
How much water you need depends on the chicken: older birds and organic chicken need more, so add it in batches.
If your blender isn’t powerful, blend the onions and nuts with the hot water from the recipe.

Chicken Korma

Ingredients

Marinade

Korma paste

Curry

Method

Notes