Recipe: Chicken Korma

Ingredients:

– Two chicken breasts

– 200g ground almonds (or whole blanched almonds)

– 2 onions

– 1 cinnamon stick

– 2 bay leaves

– 2 green medium heat chillies

– 10 whole cardamoms

– 3 cloves of garlic

– 150 ml natural yoghurt (I prefer Greek set yogurt)

– ½ tsp paprika

– ½ tsp turmeric

– 1 tsp garam masala

– ½ tsp nutmeg

– ½ tsp mace

– Salt

– Coconut milk or cream (optional)

Method:

  1. Place the almonds, cinnamon stick and bay leaves into a frying pan and fry gently for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the chopped onions and gently fry for 10 minutes until soft. 
  3. Add the chopped chillies, cardamom pods and fry gently for a further 5 minutes.
  4. Add 200ml of water and simmer gently for 10 minutes. 
  5. While the mixture simmers, cut the chicken breasts into cubes and put to one side.
  6. Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and put to one side.
  7. Add the mixture to a blender and add the garlic and ginger. Blend until smooth and return to the frying pan. 
  8. Slowly add the yogurt while stirring continuously so it doesn’t separate. 
  9. Stir in the rest of the spices.
  10. Add 300 ml of hot water.
  11. For a creamier taste add either some coconut cream (the set part from a tin of separated coconut milk), some mixed coconut milk, or some cream according to preference.
  12. Add salt and additional grated nutmeg to taste.
  13. Add more chillies if you would like.
  14. Cook over low heat until tender.