Pakistani Chicken Korma (Authentic)
An authentic, rich and luxurious korma is perfect to serve on a special occasion or get-together. This recipe is the real deal, with lots of warming spices and deep flavour. Pairs perfectly with some naan, sheermaal or taftaan.
- Prep time
- 24 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 cup oil/ghee
- 2 small onions (sliced finely (about 2 small or 1 large onion))
- 2-2.2 lb chicken, bone in (bone in, cut into curry pieces)
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1/2 cup full fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup unsalted cashews (ground into a fine paste with water (see notes for substitutions))
- 4 black cardamoms
- 16 green cardamoms
- 15 cloves
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 medium sized cinnamon stick
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
- Kewra water (1tsp or more as per preference)
- 1 oz almonds ((1oz/30g almonds = 20 almonds))
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil/ghee in a deep pot or pan. Add the sliced onions and fry them over a medium to high heat, stirring often and keeping a very close eye on them to ensure they brown evenly. You may find you need to turn the heat down after a while if they look like they may be browning too quickly/unevenly.
- 2
Once the onions have turned a dark brown (not black!), use a slotted spoon to remove them and rest them spread out on a paper towel. Set aside - these will crisp up as we work on the korma. This entire process will take about 20-25 minutes.
- 3
Add the chicken, spices, ginger and garlic to the oil in the same vessel. Fry this over a medium to high heat, until the chicken no longer remains pink.
- 4
Add in the yogurt and cashews paste. Fry everything well, stirring the entire time, until the oil begins to separate from the sauce of the curry and looks glossy.
- 5
Add in 400ml/1 3/4 cups of water, bring everything to a boil and then cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes..
- 6
As the korma cooks, once the onions have cooled down completely and become crisp, you can crush them using your hands or a pestle and mortar until they are broken down into a textured mixture. Don't crush them into a fine powder or paste.
- 7
Take the lid off and stir in the onions. Return the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- 8
Add in the kewra water. Give everything a taste and adjust the chilli and salt if needed
- 9
Garnish with almonds just before serving.