Chicken Braised in Yogurt (Chicken Korma)

A popular Indian dish with a tangy spicy flavour. The heat intensity of this dish can be varied depending upon your tastes by using more or less chilli than stated. If a mild curry is required it is advised to remove the chilli once the onion is fried. For a Korma recipe using Korma Curry Powder, see 'Easy Lamb Korma'

Serves	: 4
Preparation Time	: 20 minutes
Cooking Time	: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs / 675g chicken or other meat cut into 1 inch cubes
3 large onions
2 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
10 fl oz / 275 ml yogurt
juice of 1 lemon (optional)
1 tbs dried coconut
3 tbs groundnut oil

Herbs & Spices

2 Cardamom Whole
2 Chillies Whole
1 tbsp Cumin Ground
1 tbsp Coriander Ground
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Ginger Ground
1/2 tsp Fenugreek Ground
1/4 tsp Cloves Ground

Cooking Instructions

Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a large heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Finely slice 2 onions and fry gently with the whole chillies until brown. Remove chillies at this point if required. Set the onions aside.

Place the remaining onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and blend until smooth (add a little water if necessary to allow blending).

Heat the remaining oil over a medium heat and add the blended onion mix. Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes until the oil starts to separate. Add the coconut and all the spices except the cardamom. Continue to fry for 1-2 minutes until the spices darken in colour.

Crush the cardamoms with the back of spoon and add to the onions along with the chicken pieces, the fried sliced onion and half the yogurt. Turn the heat down low and cover with a well fitting lid. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked. Add a little more yogurt if the curry dries out to much. When the chicken is cooked, season to taste, stir in the remainder of the yogurt and garnish with lemon juice for a more pronounced tang.