Recipe: Chicken Korma (vegetarian option)
Korma is a dish that might draw a snigger from curry snobs, but it truly is an excellent dish—rich and comforting, creamy and mild. However, for anyone who loves a good curry as much as I do, making a korma is a risky business, when you're making an iconic dish, the very thought of which makes your mouth water, expectations are naturally going to be high. It would be utter heartbreak then if your efforts to outdo the supermarket ready meal staple turn out just a bit… disappointing. I admit to having never attempted to make a korma before, but happily this was anything but disappointing.
Ingredients:
4 free-range chicken thighs, deboned, skinned and roughly chopped 1/2 cauliflower, chopped into small florettes 250ml plain yoghurt 50ml double cream 50g cashew nuts, soaked in a little warm water 6 tbsp vegetable oil (half coconut oil, optional) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp sugar 8 cardamom pods 1 onion, chopped 6 garlic cloves 1 tbsp root ginger A good handful of sultanas
Method:
1. Gently season the chicken meat, then place in a bowl and marinade overnight with half the yoghurt.
2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, brown the meat in half the vegetable oil (or all the vegetable oil if you’ve got coconut oil to make up the rest) and set aside. Take care to shake off the yoghurt marinade and not to crowd the pan with too many pieces. Caution: it will spit because of the yoghurt.
3. Now add the coconut oil (or remaining vegetable oil), the spices and the sugar. Lift as much of the caramelised material off the bottom of the pan as possible with a wooden spoon. Once the spices start to small fragrant, add the chopped onion and sweat down for several minutes.
4. In a blender or food processor, blend the cashews with their soaking water, the garlic and the ginger very thoroughly to achieve a smooth paste. Add this to the pan to join the onions and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Now add the chicken, the yoghurt from the marinade, the rest of the yoghurt, the sultanas and the cauliflower. It will look very tempting at this stage but do not taste it since the chicken has not yet been thoroughly cooked.
6. Cover and simmer for at least half an hour, then taste and season. Take it off the heat and stir through the cream.
Tip: korma would make a delicious sauce for just about anything so feel free to substitute the chicken for vegetables such as broccoli and peas.