Delhi Chicken Korma

Ingredients (Serves 4 – 5)

1. Chicken – Around 3/4 – 1 kg , cut into medium pieces

2. Oil /butter / ghee (preferably ghee) – 1/4 cup + 2 – 3 tbsp

3. Onion – 1 medium-large, thinly sliced

4. Whole spices – 1 – 2 bay leaves, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 small black cardamom, 1/4 tsp black pepper corns, 5 cloves, 4 green cardamom and a tiny piece of mace / javithri

5. Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp, heaped

6. Yoghurt – 1/3 cup

7. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds / powder – 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 tsp

Regular chilly powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 + 1/2 tsp (Recipe below)

8. Cashews – 6 – 8, soaked overnight or in hot water for 1 hr

Yoghurt – 3 tbsp

9. Hot water  / chicken stock – 3/4 cup

10. Kewra water – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 pinch (optional, added to balance the flavors)

11. Salt – To taste

Method

1. Heat oil/ghee in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and cook until golden (do not let it become dark brown). Remove to a paper towel.

2. In the remaining ghee/oil (remove all but 1/4 cup ghee from the vessel) over medium heat, add  whole spices. Stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Now add the chicken pieces, ginger-garlic paste and mix well.  Cook for a few minutes and then add yoghurt, salt and spice powders numbered 7.  Mix well and cook for a few minutes. Cover and cook over medium flame for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice in between.

3. Meanwhile grind fried onion, soaked cashews and 3 tbsp yoghurt to a very fine paste.

4. Add the above fried onion paste to the half cooked chicken. Mix well. Cover and cook for about 13 – 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup hot water/chicken stock when the oil separates. We need a medium thick gravy. Taste-check for salt. Cover and cook for a few more minutes until chicken is completely cooked through. Add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and 1 tsp kewra water. Mix well. Cover and cook for 1 more minute. Switch off. Serve with naan/pulao.

Garam masala powder recipe

1. Cumin seeds – 2.5 tsp
2. Black pepper – 1/2 tsp
3. Cloves – 4
4. Black cardamom – 1 small
5. Green cardamom – 3-4
6. Cinnamon stick – 1/4 inch
7. Mace / javithri – A tiny piece
8. Nutmeg – 1/8th of a small nutmeg

Grind the above ingredients to a fine powder and transfer to an air-tight container. You need only 1 – 1.5 tsp garam masala powder  for this recipe.