Shahi Chicken Korma

Chicken is cooked in a rich sauce of onions, yogurt and nuts.

It could be served with Baghara Chaawal (Fried Rice) or Stir fried Indian Flatbread and a vegetable.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken cut into 2 inch pieces washed and drained
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 10 raw almond powdered
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Onion Masala:

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger

Nuts Mix:

• ¼ cup raw cashew
• 1 tbsp white poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp desiccated unsweetened coconut
• 1 tbsp whole fennel seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp carom seeds

Dry Spice Powder:

• 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
• ½ tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chili powder (or paprika)
• Pinch of saffron

Whole Garam Masala:

• 1 whole brown cardamom
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick

Method:

• Prepare yogurt: Line a fine mesh sieve with two layers of cheese cloth and place over a bowl. Pour in the yogurt, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare marinade:
• Onion Masala: Warm the oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat and add the cumin seeds, then after few seconds, the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are lightly brown. Lift them out of the oil, leaving as much oil behind as possible, and put them in a food processor or a blender.
• Nuts Mix: Warm a small frying pan over medium heat and add the cashews, Poppy seeds, coconut, fennel seeds, bay leaf and carom seeds. Toast for a few minutes until they change color and smell roasted. Transfer to a clean spice grinder and powder finely. Add this powder to the food processor
• Yogurt: Scrap the strained thickened yogurt into the food processor as well.
• Dry Spice Powder: Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, garam masala powder, salt, saffron and red pepper powder (paprika), to the food processor.
• Mince well all the ingredients, and then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Marinate Chicken:
• Put cubed chicken in the mixing bowl and coat well.
• Marinate for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
• Cook Chicken: Warm left over oil in the nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
• Add the whole cardamom, clove, and cinnamon.
• Pour in the chicken pieces without its marinade and stir fry continuously for 10 minutes. By this time the moisture should have evaporated and the oil should be floating on the top.
• Stir in marinade, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes. Boil off the excess liquid if any. The sauce should be very thick at the end of the cooking time.
• Cool for 5 minutes. Powder the almonds in a clean coffee grinder and mix them into the chicken curry along with the heavy cream.
• Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve with Baghara Chaawal (fried rice) or crispy Ande Ka Parantha and Baghara Baingan or any other green vegetable.

Do You Know?

Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking style used in Delhi, Kashmir, and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

The cuisine is strongly influenced by Persian and Turkish cuisines of Central Asia. The food served in the vast majority of Indian restaurants in the Western hemisphere draws inspiration from Mughlai cuisine.