Chicken and Potato Korma simmered in a mildly spiced creamy yogurt sauce. Makes a very delicious and satisfying meal served with rice.
Korma is a dish consisting of meat and vegetables usually braised in a spiced sauce thicken with yogurt, cream, nut or seed paste. It has its roots in Northern Indian cuisine where dairy is often used. Known for its mild flavor, it can be made fiery with the addition of chili powder.
Indian food in Malaysia is predominantly Southern Indian in origin. Everyone’s favorite is the fiery Chicken Curry cooked with coconut milk. Korma is the lesser known cousin, often cooked with coconut milk, instead of yogurt. As a child, I remember Chicken and Potato Korma as the “yellow curry”. It was mild, fragrant, and quite delicious. Occasionally, Mom cooked it using convenient korma curry powder.
In today’s recipe, I used my own mix of spices and stayed with plain unsweetened yogurt. To help thicken the sauce, I added some ground candlenuts (buah keras), often used in Southeast Asian curries. Good substitutes for candlenuts are macadamias or cashew nuts.
This Chicken and Potato Korma definitely has a lighter consistency than coconut milk based curries. A little cream may be added for a creamier texture.
Similar Tools Used in Making This Chicken and Potato Korma
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• Capresso Cool Grind Coffee/Spice Grinder
• Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 4-1/2-Quart Round French (Dutch) Oven, Cherry Red
• Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
Chicken and Potato Korma simmered in a mildly spiced creamy yogurt sauce. Makes a very delicious and satisfying meal served with rice.
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cardamom pods
- 6 cloves
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 inch ginger (peeled and grated) (60g)
- 2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breast (cut into bite size pieces (900g)
- 1¼ water (300ml)
- Salt to taste
- 4 medium potatoes (cubed)
- ¾ cup plain yogurt (200g)
- 6 candle nuts / buah keras** (ground to a paste)
- 3 tbsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp ground fennel (jintan manis)
- 1½ tsp ground cumin (jintan putih)
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ⅓ cup water (80ml)
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Grind candlenuts to a paste in a coffee grinder. Alternatively, candlenuts may be crushed using a mortar and pestle.
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Combine all spice paste ingredients (including ground candlenut) in a bowl to form a paste.
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In a medium sized pot, heat vegetable oil. Fry cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves for 1 to 2 minutes or until spices start to pop. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add spice paste and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir constantly so that the spices do not burn.
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Now, add chicken and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
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Add salt and potatoes. Continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
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Finally, stir in yogurt. Allow the sauce to heat through over low heat.
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Turn off stove and let korma sit for 10 minutes before serving.
**Candlenuts may be substituted with macadamias or cashew nuts.
Serving Suggestions
Always allow curries to sit for a while before serving. This gives time for the flavor to develop and the sauce to thicken. IMHO, I do think they taste better warm than piping hot from the stove.
Like all curries, this Chicken and Potato Korma is great with fluffy basmati rice. Refrigerate any leftovers and warm it up the next morning for breakfast. Korma with buttered sliced bread makes a truly marvelous breakfast! 😉 Do give it a try.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
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