Mutton Korma
A classic korma recipe that's perfect for special events such as Eid and weddings!
- Prep time
- 36 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/4 cup oil/ghee
- 1 medium onion, sliced finely
- 1.1 lb mutton (bone in, cut into curry pieces)
- 8 cloved garlic, minced
- 0.5 tbsp minced ginger
- 1/3 cup full fat yogurt
- 1/4 cups unsalted cashews (ground into a fine paste with water (see notes for substitutions))
- 2 black cardamoms
- 8 green cardamoms
- 7 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 0.5 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 small sized cinnamon stick
- 1.5 tsp coriander powder
- 0.5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp deghi mirch (can substitute 1 tsp deghi mirch for 1 tsp paprika OR 1/2 tsp red chilli powder)
- 1 tsp salt or (to taste)
- Kewra water (1tsp or more as per preference (optional))
- 15 almonds (skins removed)
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. The frying process will take about 25 minutes.
- 3
Add the mutton, spices, ginger and garlic to the same oil as the onions were fried in. Fry this over a medium to high heat, until the mutton no longer remains pink, about 7 minutes.
- 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 - about 10 minutes.
- 5
Add in 900ml of water, bring everything to a boil and then cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for about 1.5-2hrs.
- 6
As the korma cooks, once the onions have cooled down completely and become crisp, you can crush them using your hands, a pestle and mortar, or a processor until they are broken down into a textured mixture.
- 7
Take the lid off and stir in the onions. Return the lid and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. If things are looking too dry for your liking and you want to top the water up at this point, you can do so now.
- 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