Shahi Chicken Korma

I usually whip up recipes blogs in minutes, but this, I must say has taken a bit of doing…Just knowing when to throw things into a pan doesn’t make it any easier to write some not-so-simple recipes. But I promise you, the effort for this one is worth every precious minute of your time.

You will find many variants of this recipe, some of which use ingredients such as cashews, khoya (reduced milk) and/or cream. Cashews are a complete ‘no-no’ in my cooking due to my daughter’s allergy (she is miraculously tolerant to almonds); khoya simply wasn’t in my cupboard so I used desiccated coconut with milk to create a creamy richness. And of course, I substituted cream with condensed milk.

So without further adieu, I bring to you Shahi (meaning ‘prestige’) Chicken Korma, aptly named as a dish fit for a royal 🙂

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 50 mins

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 500g boneless chicken, cut into small pieces ( I used thigh meat)
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
• I large onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic (OR 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced)
• 1 tbsp ginger paste (OR 1” piece root ginger, finely grated)
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 4 tbsp desiccated coconut soaked in ½ cup milk for 20-30 mins
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground mace
• ½ cup condensed milk
• 1 tbsp rose or kewra water
• 2-3 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil gently in a medium heavy based pan or wok.
2. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle and change colour – approx. 20 secs.
3. Add the onions and chilli flakes. Turn up the heat to a medium flame and fry until softened and lightly golden.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook off for 2 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Transfer this onion mixture into a blender, add the soaked coconut with milk and the ground almonds. Blend to a smooth mixture.
7. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a medium flame until any excess liquid has reduced.
8. Add the chicken pieces and turn up the heat. Cook until the chicken is sealed – approx. 5-8 minutes, depending on the heat.
9. Add the turmeric, coriander, chilli, garam masala and salt and sauté for 1-2 minutes
10. Stir in the mace and remove from the heat.
11. Gently stir in the condensed milk and mix in well.
12. Return the pan to a medium heat and 1½ cups of hot water. Bring to boil.
13. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until chicken is tender (approx. 30 mins).
14. Stir in the rose or kewra water and garnish with flaked almonds, if using.