Chicken Korma
Korma is like a gateway drug to the world of Indian Cuisine. There is just enough kick and intrigue to leave you jonesing for more.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves
- 4 pods cardamon
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 2 dried chili
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
12 curry leaves
- 3 green chills, minced
- 8 cloves garlic, 5 roughly chopped and 3 worked to a paste
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and worked to paste
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into about 1 inch pieces (ask butcher to help you)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 11/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over low flame. Add cloves, cardamon, cinnamon and dried chili and cook, stirring constantly until oil is aromatic with spices. Add onion, curry leaves, green chili and chopped garlic. Cooking, stirring, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger pastes and then turmeric. Keep cooking long enough that the spices mellow and no longer taste raw, another 5 minutes or so.
Add chicken and sour cream to the pot. Stir and let simmer about 10 minutes. Add tomato tomato, coconut milk and water. Season with salt and cook another 45 minutes.
Stir in gram masala, cook down until sauce thickens and oil separates, another 30 minutes. Serve with rice or Naan.
Nur's Garam Masala
The large quantities of each ingredient is testament to just how much time Nur spends in the kitchen. Keep spice blend in an airtight container and store in a cool dark place. A jar full of this stuff makes a fabulous gift. Hint Hint Nur - we just came to the end of ours!
- 3 cups cumin seeds
- 3 cups coriander seeds
- 1 1/2 cups black pepper
- 1/2 cup green cardamon pods
- 1/2 cup brown cardamon pods
- 1/3 cup cloves
- 1/2 cup star anise
- 1 cup bay leaves
- 3 ounces dried chilis
- 10 ounces cinnamon sticks
Working spice and seed by spice and seed toast ingredients in a cast iron skillet over a low flame. Shake skillet to prevent scorching - you want a nice toasted non acrid aroma. Remove seeds/spices from skillet and combine in large bowl. Cool and grind to a powder. Store spice blend as suggested above.