A mild aromatic korma that eats well (rich, nutty and creamy) and you can serve it up Western style and not like a conventional “curry”. There is a story behind this dish – legend has it that Shahjehan (mastermind of Tajmahal) used to have themed banquets on full moon nights at Agra fort. The theme was white so guests, carpets, flowers were all white and naturally all food served was white.
If you want to serve Mughal style, you can garnish with edible silver foil.
Do try and I believe it will soon be a favourite with family and friends.
INGREDIENTS
3 large chicken breasts, skinned and halved lengthwise (about 800g in weight)
50g cashew nuts
2 tablespoons of ground almonds
100g Greek style yoghurt
4 tablespoons of ghee
350g onions, chopped
3-4 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
5 centimetre piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
½ cup of homemade chicken stock
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Toasted sliced almonds for garnish
Salt to taste
METHOD
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a cooking pot, add the cashews and fry for a few minutes until pale brown. Add the onions and a couple of good pinches of salt and fry for five minutes. Toss in the ginger and garlic along with green chillies. Continue frying for a further five minutes. Add the cardamom powder along with the ground almonds. Pour a cup of hot water. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Once cool, put the mixture into a blender and puree to a smooth paste.
Add the remaining ghee to a large saute pan. When hot enough, toss the cut chicken breasts to get a bit of colour. Remove the chicken to a plate.
To the pan add the stock and whisk in the yoghurt. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and gently poach turning them once in a while so the chicken cooks evenly on all sides. If there is not enough liquid, you can either add more stock or more water. You want to cook the chicken only up to 75% so the rest of the cooking is completed with the spice puree. In this regard, I would cook it only to about 45 degrees in the centre of the thickest part.
Remove the chicken pieces again to a plate. Pour in the puree, season with salt. Cook vigorously so the sauce is thick and unctuous. Taste to check seasoning and grate the nutmeg.
When the sauce is to the desired consistency, return the chicken pieces to the saute pan and finish cooking for a further 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds and serve with jeera rice.