Nov 2, 2012

Murgh Korma (Creamy Chicken Curry)

Chicken korma is a beloved Indian recipe that came from the Moghuls (the Muslim rulers of much of India from the 16th to 19th centuries). The meat is lightly browned, then simmered in yogurt and puréed almonds and cashew nuts, which give the dish its creaminess, but what makes it really special are the fragrant spices: I use whole spices and grind them together so their flavors become one in the sauce. —Hemant Mathur, chef and co-owner of Tulsi in New York City

Credit: Penny De Los Santos

SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, cut into 2″ chunks
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. minced ginger, plus one 2″ piece, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp. minced garlic, plus 3 cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, to taste
¼ cup blanched almonds
¼ cup raw cashews
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
¾ cup canola oil
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
2 tsp. fennel seeds
12 dried rose petals (optional)
3 green cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
½ stick cinnamon
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 green serrano chiles, stemmed and minced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. paprika
1 cup plain yogurt
6 tbsp. heavy cream
Cooked rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Toss chicken, 1 tbsp. minced ginger, minced garlic, juice, and salt in a bowl; chill 1 hour. Purée almonds, cashews, poppy seeds, and ⅓ cup water in a blender; set nut paste aside. Heat ½ oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add peppercorns, fennel, rose petals, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon; cook until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add sliced ginger, remaining garlic, and onions; cook until deeply caramelized, about 45 minutes. Purée mixture with ⅓ cup water; set onion paste aside. Add remaining ¼ oil to pot over high heat. Add onion paste, remaining ginger, and chiles; cook until oil separates, about 6 minutes, Add turmeric, paprika, and salt; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken; cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Add nut paste and yogurt; cook until emulsified, about 3 minutes. Stir in 4 tbsp. cream; drizzle with remaining cream to garnish. Serve with rice.

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This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #150

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Ratings & Reviews (6)

by VELKYN on 2012-10-08

Fantastic recipe! The directions could use a little work though. I've found that the most important thing for this recipe is to make sure the nut paste is as creamy as possible. I broke down the recipe into steps that I found easier and have posted them on my blog: http://clubschadenfreude.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/from-the-kitchen-murgh-korma/
So glad I have a subscription to Saveur.

by rnelson on 2012-11-01

This was tasty, with good aftertaste, but I've enjoyed better korma. And my chicken chunks dried out.

by kjuel on 2012-11-02

We are foodies, and cook many publications cover to cover, and this was alot of prep work!! That being said, it was delicious. Next time will use only dark meat,the breast meat really dried out. I think breaking this down into do ahead steps, say the day before for the nut paste, etc., would be much better if using it for a dinner party.

by KOSHRY on 2012-11-05

This was a lot of work and it came out looking like mud and not tasting much better. We used only dark meat and it wasn't dry at all. What a disappointment.

by KLANCELOTTA on 2012-11-05

Agree with kjuel . . . this recipe took quite a bit of time and effort. The end result was delicious but I'm not quite sure if the ends justified the means. If this took 1/2 as long, this would be something I would make regularly. As is, this is a definite keeper of a recipe but something I would consider making very occassionally (e.g., twice a year). My "4 star" rating is based on taste alone and does not incorporate the cooking effort factor

Re: making this ahead, I completed most steps up until the point of adding chicken to the sauce 8 hours in advance. I refrigerated the sauce and then continued the last 25 minuts of cooking right before serving.

As a side note . . . my sister took leftovers to work and said that this tastes even better the day-after (perhaps because the flavors had that much more time to meld together). BUT, she almost shared some with a colleague that has nut allergies. It's not obvious that this recipe contains nuts, so important to keep in mind

by S.B.KELLEY on 2012-11-12

Ok this was a crazy recipe to make with crazy ingredients, but I made it with my daughter and we had blast together in the kitchen for hours. A couple of tips ... use dark meat and use just under the required 2lbs of chicken, make sure you have plenty of time, and really puree the nuts and onion mixtures. Everything comes together so nicely at the end. Also if you can make everything separate(nut and onion puree, and chicken marinade) and bring it together on the second day ... even better tasting.

Our chicken never dried out and came out perfect. We followed the recipe to the exact degree just used a little bit more chicken. The 4 stars is because you do need to buy a lot of spices maybe not in your cabinets and the time ... other than those 2 things ... we would have given it 5 stars.

It is a fun great recipe to make with your daughter or a BFF. Have fun with all the crazy, fun ingredients.

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