It’s curry time! Actually, it’s korma time. Let’s get after it with this chicken korma.
When I was researching Bangladeshi recipes, I saw chicken korma was Bangladeshi in origin and I knew I had make it.
As things were simmering away, I had a mini freak out moment because the recipe had only four spices- ginger, garlic, cardamom and cinnamon– leaving the resulting dish WHITE. Could that be right? I swore that Chicken Korma had more flavor than that, and I frantically ran to double check the recipe. As it turns out, the Indian chicken korma that I’m used to is actually quite different from Bangladeshi chicken korma. Interesting, good to know, and it means that I’ll be making Indian chicken korma at a later date. I’m not disappointed.
At note about the korma: The recipe called for a lot of ghee. Too much, in my opinion. While I’m sure that the buffet korma that I eat is swimming in ghee, I wanted to keep this light (since this type of food tends to feel heavier anyway), so I just used a tablespoon of butter rather than the equivalent of five.
Recipe adapted from Panning the Globe
Chicken Korma
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 3 cardamom pods crushed
- 2 cinnamon sticks about 1" each
- 2 TB unsalted butter
- ½ cup yellow onion, chopped
- ½ cup cauliflower, chopped
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup Greek yogurt any fat
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup cilantro, to garnish optional
- 1 cup rice cooked
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon salt and set aside.Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet with a lid. When hot, add the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods. Cook for about 30 seconds, until the spices start to become fragrant. Add the chopped onions and carrot, ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until it all starts to soften.
- Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and has started to brown a bit.
- Add cauliflower and stock. Lower heat and simmer, stirring, for a minute or so. Cover skillet and cook at a gentle simmer for 8 minutes. Remove cover and add the yogurt and peas, heating and stirring gently for about a minute.
- Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro. Be sure to remove the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods before serving.
Personal Note: Some news. Distressing news. After enduring tummy troubles for years, I decided to get tested for food sensitivities. The results were not good and I’m afraid that I have to try my hardest to eliminate certain foods from my diet, the main ones being yeast, wheat, dairy and eggs. I will admit that I had a mini-breakdown, not only because I love food so much, but also because I didn’t know what to do about the blog. What was I going to call it- The hungry girl’s guide to eating the world for those who can’t eat anything?
The good news is that these are sensitivities, not allergies and while I don’t believe in taking anything to extremes, in my recipes moving forward, I will try to comply with this new challenge. I may not always be successful. I mean, I’m not sure there is a way to legitimately make any meringue-like item without eggs. Also, you know I heart whipped cream to an extreme. And finally, because I don’t believe in doing crazy things like this unless absolutely forced, I will put both the original recipes and my modifications. Why should I make you suffer through my lame substitutions and use no-doubt more expensive ingredients? The good news, if I had to pick one, is that I’m going to go back to try and remake my favorite dishes the new way. The kitchen is my lab, and this scientist will do my best to make this work. And, if I can heal my insides through some sacrifices now, this change may not have to be forever. There’s my silver lining.
