Murghi Korma (Chicken with an Almond-Yogurt Sauce)

I love kormas! Vegetable kormas are actually a favourite of mine, but I decided to give this chicken korma a go to see how it stacked up.

This is a lovely curry, but I found that it wasn't quite what I was expecting of a korma. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've only ever had vegetable kormas and I've only ever had them at (Anglo-)Indian restaurants, so may expectations are probably a bit skewed. If you're really craving that very mild, nutty creaminess that characterizes many restaurant kormas, then this may not be the recipe for you. If, however, you're simply looking for a pleasantly aromatic chicken curry that still has some of that nuttiness, then this one is probably a good bet!

Murghi Korma

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 (1.5kg) chicken, skin removed and cut into pieces
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 3 black cardamom pods
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 dried bay leaves (or Indian bay leaves)
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 c. slivered almonds
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, ginger paste, and garlic paste.
2. Coat the chicken with the yogurt mixture and refrigerate overnight.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the cloves, peppercorns, green and black cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves and cook until they sizzle and smell aromatic.
5. Add onion and cook until beginning to turn light brown around the edges.
6. Transfer onions and spices to a blender.
7. Add 1 c. water, almonds, salt, and cayenne and puree to make a slightly gritty paste.
8. Place the chicken (and any residual marinade) in the pan and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned.
9. Add onion-almond paste.
10. Pour 1/2 c. water into the blender jar to rinse it out and add this to the pan as well.
11. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cover.
12. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning chicken occasionally to allow to cook evenly.
13. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

If you want something that's a bit more subtle in its flavours and lets the nuts shine through more, I'd recommend leaving the spices whole and either removing them before serving or eating around them. They'll still infuse the sauce, but they won't have nearly as much of a presence as when they're ground up and incorporated into it. If you're going this route, just leave the onion and spices in the pan and puree the almonds with a bit of water. I'd recommend measuring out the full cup, but only adding half of it to start. If there's not enough liquid to successfully blend the almonds, add more water, a couple Tbsp. at a time, until they form a smooth puree. If there's any water left after the almond puree is done, add it to the water being used to rinse out the blender.

I haven't tested this recipe tweak, but I do think it will produce a much "quieter" sauce where the spices take more of a back seat. Try it if that's the sort of flavour you're after. I'll probably give it a go if I end up making this one again. (Maybe with some vegetables in place of the chicken this time.)