Chicken Korma

Make Ahead and Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days; the flavour deepens overnight. Reheat gently without boiling. Freezing can split the cream.

Making Chicken Korma

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1. Fry the onions in the ghee over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until evenly deep gold. Do not rush this or let them blacken.

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2. Lift two-thirds of the onions out with a slotted spoon and blend with the drained cashews, coconut and 100 ml water to a completely smooth paste.

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3. Reheat the pan with its remaining ghee and onions. Add the whole spices and bay and fry 45 seconds until fragrant.

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4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook 2 minutes until the raw smell goes.

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5. Add the chicken and turn it in the spices for 5 minutes without browning it deeply — korma should stay pale.

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6. Take the pan off the heat, whisk the yoghurt smooth, and stir it in a spoonful at a time to stop it splitting. Return to low heat.

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7. Add the ground coriander, cumin, white pepper and salt, cover, and simmer very gently for 20 minutes.

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8. Stir in the cashew-onion paste and 150 ml water and simmer, uncovered, for 12 minutes until the sauce is thick and the oil begins to separate at the edges.

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9. Finish with the cream, garam masala, saffron milk and rose water. Warm through for 2 minutes without boiling and rest 10 minutes before serving.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Worth Knowing

• Whisk the yoghurt and add it off the heat. This is the step that separates a smooth korma from a grainy one.
• Rose water is powerful. A teaspoon is a fragrance; a tablespoon is soap.
• Korma should taste of onion, cashew and warm spice, not chilli. Resist the urge to add heat.

Why the Method Is What It Is

Birista — onions fried slowly to deep gold and then blitzed — is the backbone of the sauce, providing sweetness and body without the raw allium sharpness of onions simply softened in oil. The cashew paste emulsifies the fat and thickens the sauce, which is why korma needs no tomato and stays pale.

Serving Ideas

Basmati pilau or naan · A cucumber raita · A lightly off-dry Riesling or a mango lassi

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Chapati (Roti), Aloo Methi, Beans Poriyal.

Swaps and Variations

• In a sauce, full-fat crème fraîche can usually take the place of the double cream; single cream is thinner and more likely to split if it boils, so keep it below a simmer.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Questions About Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: optional ingredients are counted. How the figures are worked out.

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