First, the recipe. Second the backstory. Long time readers know this drill 🙂
The recipe for a glorious chicken korma:​
Method:
- Start off by placing a deep dish on the stove on medium-high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pan.
- When the oil is hot, add the whole spices. Sauté until a nice aroma emanates from the pan.
- Add in the chopped onions and sauté for a couple of minutes until browned. Sprinkle in some salt to help break down the onions.
- Add chopped tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes have softened. You can cover the pan with a lid during steps 3 and 4 to help speed up the process.
- Add the ginger/garlic paste and green chillies and let fry. Keep stirring to prevent the paste from getting caught on the base of the pan. Once browned, proceed to the next step.
- Toss in the turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder. Stir until the raw smell of spices is gone.
- When the mixture has cooked for about 5-7minutes, add in the chicken pieces.
- Stir the whole mixture around for another 3-4 minutes.
- Drop the potatoes in. Give it a mix. If using any ingredients from the optional list i.e. extra veggies you can add them to the pot in this step as well.
- At this point, it is time to add the liquids. I use chicken stock to add additional flavor. But water is also fine. Pour in your liquid of choice to cover the mixture (About 4 cups). You can adjust the consistency after the chicken finishes cooking.
- Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 25-30minutes.
- When the chicken has cooked through and the potatoes are tender, remove the lid and add in the coconut milk and lime juice.
- If using eggs (from the optional list), add them in at this point.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes.
- Garnish with black pepper powder, cilantro and ghee (per preference).
- Turn off the stove and the delicious chicken korma is ready to serve!
Ingredient List:
- Fennel Seeds (saunf) – 2 tsp
- Cardamom Pods – 4, green
- Cloves – 4-5 whole
- Bay leaf – 1-2 medium leaves
- Cinnamon Stick – 1, 2-inch long piece
Main Ingredients:
- Bone-In Chicken Pieces – 1.5 Lb
- Yellow Potatoes – 0.5 lb
- Onions – 2, medium, chopped
- Tomatoes – 2 medium, chopped
- Ginger/Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
- Green Chillies – 5 medium, sliced
- Turmeric – 1 tsp
- Chilli (Cayenne) Powder – 3 tsp
- Coriander Powder (Dhania) – 2 tbsp
- Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
- Coconut Milk – 1 cup
- Lime Juice – 1 whole lime
- Black Pepper Powder – 2 tsp
- Oil – 4 Tbsp
- Ghee – To garnish
- Cilantro – 1 handful, chopped
- Salt – To taste
Optional Ingredients:
- Carrots – 2 medium, large dice
- Beans – 1/4lb, 1 inch pieces
- Eggs – 3 or 4, boiled, peeled and scored
Additional Chef Notes:
- Optional Ingredients Selection: The optional list is purely unto the chef’s preference. You can swap out vegetables of choice, add proteins (paneer, tofu, eggs etc) and even swap out the main protein. I’ve made this dish with mutton, seafood, veggies only, eggs only etc.
- Coconut Milk vs Paste: Traditionally, coconut is freshly ground to a paste and added to the dish. You can do either option. The milk tend to be richer. You can dilute the milk to desired consistency before you add it in.
- Pressure Cooking: This entire dish can be made ‘in a hurry’ by pressure cooking instead of stove to cooking in Step 11.
- Long-Cooked Flavor: Adding some kind of stock (vegetable, chicken, mutton) enhances the flavor and imparts the impression of a slow-cooked dish but in relatively shorter time. Cooking with bone-in chicken also adds flavor that boneless meat does not.
- Mild Sweetness: The coconut milk adds a slight sweetness that adds a distinct taste to this dish. To enhance this, you can add date syrup, ground raisins or even jaggery in very small quantities. We don’t want a very sweet dish but just a hint of sweetness.
- Idlis – The carbs in this meal for which the korma plays a strong supporting role are not made easily, simply or on a whim. It takes time, preparation and dedication to get to perfectly soft, pillowy idlis. I’ll reserve a separate post to tout the goodness of this foundational South Indian dish.
- Another classic in most festive menus is the medhu vada. Although traditionally, this dish is made from scratch, today there are some quick fix options where the batter comes in a box and all you have to do is fry them up! I always attempt to include some version of this on festive occasions purely for the nostalgic effect from childhood. Again, a separate post is imminent to walk through the process of making these Vadas.
The Backstory
Making a korma from scratch is not quick or simple. But, like any wholesome dish, the effort and care that goes into preparing the ingredients, the time taken in developing layers of flavor until to arrive at the finished dish are all treasured and cherished.
Given the somewhat elaborate preparation and the use of meat, in my parents’ household, this dish was reserved only for special occasions.
My earliest memories around this dish involve a festival, celebration or special occasion. Christmas and New Year involved traditions for the days leading unto and the entire day of the festival. Making idlis and chicken korma was a mandatory occurrence during these holidays.
My parents would wake up early on Christmas or New Years or Easter morning and start preparing. My sister and I would walk into a kitchen filled with the wonderful aroma of steamed idlis, korma and all the delicious sweets made for the occasion (kesari, Mysore pak, rava laddoos to name a few!). That first exposure to the start of a fun day has stayed in my memory all these years. I still try to recreate the ‘feeling’ and emotion of those festive mornings with my family every year now. See below for one from Christmas morning a few years ago!
Even during those years when things were not great – health/wealth/community/relationship hardships, on that day, with this start, it definitely seemed surmountable and comforting. My kids now know this is a staple in our home for the holidays and just request additional sides to go with this splendid meal. If nothing else, I hope they embrace this tradition when they look to celebrate the holidays in their own homes in the future!
Cheers to heart-warming, family traditions that have the power to connect us to the past and embrace the future through something as foundational as food!
Do give this one a try, even the quick version with pressere cooking and let me know what you think!
Happy Cooking!
To explore more of my recipes with some interesting backstories, checkout my blog series here: Food Blogs.
And of course to learn more about me, my blog origin and what my posts are about, read this post I wrote on the subject: Blog Intro.