Chicken Korma

Print Recipe

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Servings 4 - 6

Ingredients

1.5 kg boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces
125 g fresh coconut flesh chopped or grated
50 g blanched almonds
5 tsp white poppy seeds we used black
2 medium onions roughly chopped
50 g ghee or vegetable oil
6 cloves
6 green cardamon pods lightly crushed
3 cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp salt
1/2-3/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder we used regular chili powder
200 ml water or coconut water
125 ml plain greek yogurt mixed with another 125 ml water
3 black cardamom pods seeds only finely ground

Instructions

To make the coconut paste, blend the coconut, almonds, and poppy seeds in a food processor until a paste. Add hot water as needed to give it a silky consistency.
Blend the onions in the food processor until they become a paste, adding a splash of water if required.
Heat the oil (or ghee) in a deep sided pan or pot, over medium heat, and add the cloves, green cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick, - fry for 30 seconds.
Stir in the onion paste and salt, and fry for 10 minutes, until any liquid has evaporated, and the onions are translucent (but not browned).
Stir in the chili powder, then add the chicken to the pan, and fry until the chicken is opaque.
Add the water and coconut paste, bring to a simmer, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the yogurt mixture. Return to a gentle heat, and bring to a simmer.
Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, adding a little water if needed, to prevent sticking, until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the black cardamom (if using) and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Notes

As we are still building up our pantry of indian curry spices, we didn't have the kashmiri chilli, white poppy seeds, or black cardamom. We substituted the regular chili powder, and black poppy seeds, but simply omitted the black cardamom. I can only imagine how much better this will taste with all three of those in it.
Also, the original recipe called for raisins, but as I detest fruit in meat dishes, we didn't add them.