Korma originated some time during the Mughal reign in India and is still one of the most popular dishes in Northern India and Pakistan. A korma is a dish where meat or vegetables are simmered in a little stock and yoghurt or cream (or a mixture of both) with the flavour obtained from a spice mixture that almost always contains cumin and coriander seeds. The yoghurt is kept below curdling temperature and is mixed very carefully with the juice from the meat. In days of yore, it was cooked in a pot over a very low fire with charcoal on the lid to ensure that the heat is distributed all over.

Korma’s don’t have to be mild or hot – it’s always up to the person cooking and any meat or vegetable combination can be used.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into pieces, alternatively 10 chicken pieces of your choice

Marinade

• 150 g yoghurt
• 100ml double cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 6 cloves
• 8 strands saffron, dissolved in a little hot water
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 8 green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Onions

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp cardamom seeds, lightly crushed (they are the seeds removed from the green pods)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 100 g flaked almonds, lightly crushed
• 100ml water

To Serve

• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, grated zest only

Method

• Put all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well and then add the chicken pieces, coat them well and cover completely, refrigerating overnight  (24 hours is ideal) – everything can also be placed in a large Ziploc bag, the air removed and this placed in the fridge – it’s easy to turn the bag over occasionally and you can be sure that the meat is completely immersed in the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 180 C.
• Heat a frying pan until hot and only then add the oil, swirl once or twice and add the cumin seeds, the garlic, the cardamom seeds and the ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
• Add the onions and the almonds to this and fry for another 2-3 minutes and remove from the stove.
• Lift the chicken out of the marinade and place the pieces in a large casserole, cover with the onion mixture (see that the mixture doesn’t just lie on top, mix it in properly) and a little water.
• Strain the marinade over a sieve to remove all the large bits and stir that into the dish as well,  combining properly.
• Cover with a lid or aluminium foil and bake until the chicken is tender – about an hour to an hour and a half.
• Just before serving, stir in the garam masala, the lemon zest and the chopped coriander.
• Serve with  hot flatbread.