Korma “Qorma” is an Urdu word which means cooking chicken or mutton dish with braise technique. Chicken or mutton braised with yoghurt, spices, and very little water produces thick, glossy gravy. Like so many dishes, Korma is also cooked with great variation. Authentic Korma is mildly spicy and a little sweet.
Table of Contents:
1. About the recipe
2. Ingredients
3. Step-by-step method
4. Tips
1. About the recipe
Korma is a Mughal-style rich chicken dish with the sweetness of fried onions sometimes with nuts paste. Yoghurt gives a creamy texture to the dish, and kewra is an immensely important element of this Mughlai curry. It is one of the top dishes in weddings or celebrations. In this recipe of Korma, I am not using turmeric and tomatoes. This dish can also be prepared in ghee, but I use ghee and oil mix here. This is a simple recipe of Korma that anyone can cook on any day with readily available ingredients. Follow my recipe for perfect and flavourful Korma and enjoy it with your loved ones.
Let’s start cooking!
Serving Suggestions: 3
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
2 . Ingredients:
- 500 gm chicken (curry cut)
- 200 gm thick yoghurt
- 2 onions thinly sliced and fried(birista)
- 2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon of red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons of garam masala powder
- 12 to 15 green cardamom
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Salt
- Oil
- A few drops of Kewra essence
Special korma masala
- 10 Green cardamom
- A piece of Mace ( javitri)
- A small piece of Nutmeg ( jaiphal)
3. Step by Step method:
Preparation of special korma masala:
- Grind ten green cardamoms, a few maces and a small piece of nutmeg in a grinder.
- Grind them into a coarse powder.
Preparation of Birista:
- Cut onion into thin slices. Heat refined oil and fry onions on medium to high heat in a deep bottom pan or kadhai.
- You can fry onions in two batches. Fry until they turn golden brown.
- Drain from the oil and spread to cool.
- After cooling, crush fried onions into tiny bits.
- Now heat oil in a kadhai, and put 6 to 7 green cardamom and cinnamon sticks.
- Fry for a few seconds.
- Add chicken pieces and fry them until it turns white.
- Once they are white, add the ginger, garlic paste and salt. Saute them well until the raw smell leaves the chicken.
- Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix it well.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
- Open the lid; now add half of the thick yoghurt at this stage. Again, cover the pan or kadhai with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on low flame.
- After 10 minutes, add the remaining yoghurt, fried onions and special korma masala.
- Mix it well.
- Add 3 to 4 drops of kewra essence (kewra essence will give an authentic fragrance to the dish).
- Cook for 5 minutes more on low flame.
- Chicken korma is ready to serve. Enjoy this fantastic, mouth-watering curry with Naan, Paratha, Roti or pulao.
- Make this dish on any special occasion and enjoy it with your loved ones.
4. Tips:
- Frying the chicken in oil for the initial few minutes, along with a good amount of ginger garlic, gives a rich flavour and taste.
- Simmering the chicken gravy for the final few minutes takes the korma to the next level. So, I recommend sticking with it to achieve flavour and taste.
- You can enhance its richness by adding cashew paste or cream to the gravy.
- Using Kashmiri red chilli powder will give a bright red colour to the gravy.
- Special masala is the key ingredient of this dish. The later you grind and use it, the more aromatic your normal will be.
