How to Make a Delicious Indian Chicken Korma
My wife and I are always looking for new and different recipes. We often find exciting recipes to try in the newspapers we read, but many of them are inspired by cooking magazines I subscribe to.
This recipe is adapted from a Food Network Magazine sent to us to encourage us to buy a subscription. It’s a good cooking magazine with many good recipes, especially for weekday cooking.
What Is Korma?
Chicken Korma is a popular dish in Indian cuisine known for its rich, creamy, and mildly spiced curry. The dish typically features boneless chicken pieces cooked in a flavorful and aromatic sauce made with a combination of yogurt or cream, ground nuts (such as almonds or cashews), and a blend of spices. The spices used in Chicken Korma can include cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and sometimes saffron for added flavor and color.
The dish is often characterized by its smooth and velvety texture, with the nutty and creamy sauce coating the tender chicken pieces. Chicken Korma is less spicy than other Indian curries, making it a popular choice for those who prefer milder flavors.
Chicken Korma can be served with various Indian breads like naan or rice, and it is a favorite in many Indian restaurants worldwide. There are variations of Korma across different regions, and the recipe may vary depending on personal preferences and regional influences.
Can It Be Made with Beef or Fish?
Yes, it can. The basic concept of Korma can be adapted to include other meats like beef or fish. The cooking method and the spices used may need to be adjusted based on the type of meat being used. Here’s a general guideline for making Beef or Fish Korma:
Beef Korma:
- Substitute the chicken with beef cubes or strips. You may choose a tender cut of beef for better results.
- Adjust the cooking time to ensure the beef is cooked thoroughly and becomes tender. You might need to simmer it for a longer duration than chicken.
- Follow the same steps for preparing the creamy sauce with yogurt or cream, ground nuts, and spices.
Fish Korma:
- For fish korma, use firm-fleshed fish like cod, halibut, or tilapia. Cut the fish into chunks or fillets.
- Be gentle when stirring to avoid breaking the fish pieces during cooking.
- Adjust the cooking time as fish cooks relatively quickly compared to chicken or beef. Add the fish towards the end of the cooking process to prevent overcooking.
Remember that the spices and seasonings can be adjusted according to your taste preferences. Korma is a versatile dish, and you can experiment with different proteins to create variations that suit your taste.
Did You Know???
Both Madras curry powder and everyday curry powder are not Indian spices. Although they are based on spices from Indian cuisine, these curries are British spice blends based on British taste buds. The development of curry powders as spice blends, as we know them today, is linked to British colonialism and trade with India.
During the British colonial era, Indian flavors became popular in Britain, and the demand for Indian-style dishes grew. To meet this demand, British spice merchants created spice blends that attempted to replicate the flavors of Indian cuisine. “Curry powder” as a term and concept emerged during this time. The spice blends were not authentic to any specific regional Indian cuisine but were created to provide a convenient way to add Indian-inspired flavors to dishes.
Madras curry powder, named after the Madras region (now Chennai) in South India, became one of the popular variations of these curry powders. It typically included a mix of coriander, cumin, turmeric, and other spices.
While these curry powders have historical ties to British cuisine, it’s essential to recognize that they are not authentic representations of the diverse and nuanced spice blends found in traditional Indian regional cooking. In contemporary times, many people prefer to use individual spices or more authentic spice blends when preparing Indian dishes, but these curry powders continue to be used for their convenience and the unique flavor they bring to certain recipes.
Don’t Shake the Coconut Milk
Adding coconut milk to a Chicken Korma or any curry dish can enhance its creaminess and add a hint of sweetness. The addition of coconut milk will contribute a rich and velvety texture to the Chicken Korma while imparting a subtle coconut flavor.
Adjust the quantities according to your preferences, and feel free to experiment with the spice levels to suit your taste.
This recipe uses the cream at the top of the can when you first open it and the milk underneath it. The cream looks like you would think it would, but the milk underneath looks more like cloudy water and not what you might expect. It’s essential you don’t shake the can, or you won’t have access to the cream that settles on top.
Ingredients
Basmati rice is a fragrant, long-grain rice variety known for its distinctive aroma, flavor, and slender, elongated grains. It is primarily grown in the Indian subcontinent, with the Himalayan foothills of India and Pakistan being renowned for producing some of the finest quality basmati rice. The name “basmati” is derived from the Sanskrit word “Vasmati,” meaning “fragrant” or “aromatic.”
Coconut milk is a creamy, flavorful liquid extracted from the flesh of mature coconuts. It is a key ingredient in many Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Caribbean cuisines, and it’s known for adding richness and a distinct coconut flavor to a variety of dishes.
Curry powder is a blend of ground spices that is widely used in the cuisines of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. While the composition of curry powder can vary widely based on regional preferences and individual recipes, it typically includes a mixture of aromatic spices that contribute to its distinctive flavor and color.
Chicken Korma Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 8 ounces green beans ends trimmed and halved
- 13½ ounce can coconut milk
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut up into pieces
- 1 tablespoon curry powder Madras if available
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ cup almonds sliced
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 plum tomatoes roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Start the rice in a rice cooker or small pot following the directions provided by the rice packaging.
- Steam or microwave the green beans until they turn bright green. Our rice cooker has a top attachment so we can steam the food while the rice is cooking. When the beans are done, remove and reserve.
- In a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces, combine one tablespoon of the cream at the top of the opened coconut milk with the chicken, curry powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the sliced almonds and toast over medium-high heat until lightly toasted and fragrant in a pan large enough to cook all the chicken. Remove and reserve.
- In a food processor or blender, puree the ginger, garlic, onion, and half the toasted almonds.
- Place the reserved pan you toasted the almonds over medium-high heat, and add two more tablespoons of the coconut cream from the top of the can of coconut milk. Add the onion/ginger/garlic puree to the pan and season with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until the mixture in the pan is almost dry - about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, stir and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces, remaining coconut milk, and cream left in the can to the pan. Cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the green beans and half the cilantro to the pan of chicken, stir, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Spoon Basmati rice into each bowl, top with the chicken Korma, and garnish with the remaining toasted almonds and chopped fresh cilantro.
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