Jampy said:
a korma shouldn't really have any coconut in it, almonds/cashews are the important ingredient.
nor does it really need any sugar added. If you want it sweeter, simple use more onions and make sure you brown them gently.
If you want it restaurant stylee, you'll want to blend up the onions so that it has a smooth thick consistency.
a combination of the two recipes should be nice, the fragrant spices of the first recipe (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves) are quite important, but so are the almonds/cashews from the second!
I think almonds would be the nut of choice, but are often replaced in india by cashews due to their cost, but i might be wrong there...
and i think its a northern indian dish, which explains the lack of coconut, whatever people might tell you.
Cheers
The thing is, the Korma that is servered in the UK and the Korma that I like is a bastardised version of the original Korma, hence the coconut milk.
I tried a slightly modified version of this:
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Korma 1
INGREDIENTS
• 1/4 cup cashew halves
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - diced
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water
DIRECTIONS
1. Place cashews in a small bowl, and pour the boiling water over nuts. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Place garlic and ginger in food processor and blend until smooth; set aside.
2. Heat oil in wok over medium heat. Cook the bay leaves in hot oil for 30 seconds. Stir in onion, and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in garlic/ginger paste, and season with coriander, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder. Stir in chicken, and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, place the cashews, along with the water in which they were soaked, and the cream and yogurt into food processor. Process until smooth.
4. Stir the cashew mixture into the chicken and onions. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
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It tasted good but a bit like a better version of the Korma sauce you can buy premade (A la Madhur Jeffry or whatever her name is).
Then I made a 2nd dish:
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Korma 2
Serves 2
• 2 Chicken Breasts Chopped into Bite Size Pieces
• 1 Tin Coconut milk
• 4oz Thick Natural Yogurt
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 3 Tablespoons Mango chutney
• Quarter of an onion finely chopped
• 2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
• 4 Teaspoons Garlic Puree
• 2 Teaspoons Ginger Puree
• 5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Garam Massalla
• 2 drops Almomd Extract (Not essence)
• 1 Tablespoon toasted almond slices
Method
Make a paste of the curry powder and Turmeric with a little water. Fry the onion until translucent in the veg oil then add the garlic and ginger and stir fry on medium until it just starts to brown. Add the curry paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs. Add the chicken pieces and seal well on all sides. Mix the coconut milk, yogurt, mango chutney and egg yolks in a jug and pour over and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked, stirring regularly. If needed add a little water to prevent the curry becoming too thick or dry. Now stir in the garam massalla and almond extract and cook for a further minute. Serve with the toasted almond slices sprinkled over the top.
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Now this one was far far closer to the one served in the resturant - I think it needed a little more coconut to be perfect (and some almod extract (which I didnt have).
and I am trying this one next (tomorrow!). This one looks closer to the original but I prefer the 2nd.:
http://www.fairtradecookbook.org.uk/recipes/chicken_korma.htm
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