Traditional Chicken Korma
A recipe for traditional chicken korma made in the Pakistani or North Indian style with chicken, yoghurt, whole spices and lots of fried onions. Serve with sheermal for the authentic Mughlai touch.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 586kcal
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oil
- 3 medium onions, sliced see note 1
Whole Spices (Sabit garam masala)
- 8 - 10 green cardamom (choti elaichi)
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorn (sabit kali mirch)
- 4 - 6 cloves (laung)
- 1 inch piece cinnamon (dar chini)
- ½ teaspoon black cumin seeds (optional) (kaala zeera)
For the chicken
- ½ kg bone-in chicken pieces
- 2 cups yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 drops kewra essence see note 2
- 1 teaspoon sliced ginger for garnish
- ½ tablespoon sliced almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. Add sliced onions, and saute the onions till they are golden brown and crispy. This process can take about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and put them in a steel colander or kitchen towel. This will absorb the oil, and make them crispy. Once the onions are cool, crush them lightly and set aside. Alternatively you can use store-bought fried onions (see note 1).
- In the same oil that was used to fry off the onions, add the whole spices (green cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon, black cumin seeds).
- Fry for 1 - 2 minutes to release the flavour of the spices and then add the chicken pieces. Fry for 2 - 3 minutes on medium - high heat and then add the ginger paste and the garlic paste.
- Add red chili powder and salt.
- Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes till chicken colour changes from pink to white, and the water evaporates.
- Turn off the heat, and add the whisked yoghurt to the chicken. Turning off the heat will help the yoghurt to not split.
- Mix through the yoghurt and turn heat to low-medium. Add 1 - 2 cups of water, and cook for 30 minutes - 45 minutes till the chicken is cooked through. The timing will differ based on the size of the chicken pieces you are using.
- Once the chicken is almost done, add the crushed onions and let it simmer for around 5 - 10 minutes.
- Add kewra essence (if using). The chicken korma is ready when the oil separates and rises on the top.
- Garnish with sliced almonds and sliced ginger. Serve hot with naan, sheermal or taftan.
Notes
- Fried onions: Fried onions are an essential part of Pakistani and Indian cuisine forming the base of many different gravies. The process of frying them can take time, which is why bags of fried onions can be found in supermarkets and Desi stores easily. If using store-bought fried onions, add them at the same time you would add the normal onions - just cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Additionally, make sure that the onions you purchase from the store are fresh and not dusted in cornflour.
- Kewra: Kewra is known as screw pine essence in English and is extracted from the thick leathery yellow green flower petals of the pandanus tree. It’s used in meat dishes as well as desserts and can be found in Indian and Pakistani stores by the name kewra water or kewra essence. The essence is more concentrated than the water, so be careful in using it.
Nutrition
Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 398IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 196mg | Iron: 2mg
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