How to make the perfect chicken korma and the common mistakes to avoid 

You can make korma with lamb, prawns or paneer — the secret to its success is in the sauce

Chicken korma should be creamy and gently spiced. 

The roots of korma lie in the Mughal Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent during medieval times. An amalgamation of Indian and Persian food, Mughlai dishes are gently spiced and rich in nuts and dried fruit. 

How spicy should a korma be? 

While spiced heavily, a korma is never blow-your-head-off spicy and that is thanks to the creamy addition of coconut milk, yoghurt or cream along with ground almonds or cashews. There is one version of korma that includes sweetened condensed milk.

What do I serve with it? 

Chicken korma should be served with steamed basmati rice, a pilaf like pulao or warm flatbreads like roti, chapati, naan, and paratha. I also like to serve pickled red onion with mine.

What kind of chicken do I use? 

If you don't mind eating around bones, then bone-in chicken pieces will add a depth and flavour that can't be matched. If you have young children or want to avoid bones altogether, choose boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

Can I make it nut-free? 

Absolutely. If you have a nut allergy in the house, simply add one tablespoon of coconut cream to the dish in lieu of almonds. 

Why does my korma taste bland? 

You may not have cooked your spices out for long enough, or added too much liquid. Check the seasoning, add an extra pinch of salt and taste again. If it is still bland, remove the meat and simmer the sauce (a slow bubble) for 10 minutes and taste again. 

Creamy chicken korma with almonds

recipe by:Darina Allen

Curries like this get better with time, so feel free to make it today to eat tomorrow - rich, creamy and bursting with vivid spices

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

• 50g blanched, slivered almonds

• 5 tbsp olive or canola oil

• 2 bay leaves

• 8 cardamom pods

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tbsp ground coriander

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 1.5 kg chicken pieces, skinned and cut into serving portions

• 1¼ tsp salt

• 3 tbsp single cream

• ½ tbsp garam masala

Method

1. Put the garlic, ginger, almonds and 6 tablespoons water into an electric blender and blend until you have a smooth paste.

2. Put the oil in a wide pan set over medium-high heat. When very hot, put in the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon. Stir for 10 seconds.

3. Put in the onion. Stir and fry until the onion pieces turn brown. Turn the heat to medium and add the paste from the blender as well as the cumin, coriander and cayenne. Stir and fry for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add the tomato purée and stir for a minute.

5. Add the chicken pieces, salt, cream, garam masala and 150ml water. Cover and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
   This recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, published by BBC Books