MURG AWADHI KORMA
INDIA
When I was in Indonesia, I learned to make a chicken gulai using kenari nuts instead of coconut cream. The sauce was really interesting, concentrated and creamy yet light. It was incredibly delicious, and the dish was fairly simple to make if you don’t plan on using the typical Indonesian flat mortar and horizontal pestle that Indonesians use to grind their ingredients. The sauce for this Indian curry is also made with nuts (almonds or cashews), but it is rather different from the Indonesian gulai because of the complexity of the spicing. The word Awadhi means the dish is from Awadh, a region of northern India, once ruled by the Nawabs—fine gourmets whose cooks, the bawarchis, prepared supremely sophisticated dishes that were very much influenced by the cooking of the Mughal court. The bawarchis of Lucknow, once the capital of Awadh but now the capital of Utar Pradesh, were famous for their kebabs, kormas, biryanis, and many other elaborate dishes. This particular korma is a classic of Lucknow. The amount of nuts is a little extravagant, but the final result is definitely worth it. This said, you can use less without making the dish any less delicious.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), halved and cut into thin wedges
3⅓ cups (500 g) blanched almonds
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
3 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
2¼ pounds (1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken meat, both white and dark, cut into medium chunks
½ cup (60 g) chickpea flour, toasted in a dry pan until lightly browned
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 tablespoon ground yellow pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon Garam Masala 2
½ cup (125 g) yogurt, whisked
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
Good pinch of saffron threads
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kewra (pandanus flower extract)
FOR SERVING
A few sprigs cilantro, most of the stems discarded, finely chopped
Cooked basmati rice or Naan or other good flatbread
1. Cover the bottom of a skillet with a thin film of oil and add the onion. Sauté until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a sieve to drain off excess oil. Process into a fine paste.
2. Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the almonds until golden. Pour into a sieve. Let cool, then grind in a food processor until very fine.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the bay leaves, cloves, green and black cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and sauté until the spices start crackling. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a few seconds, then add the chicken pieces. Sauté for a few minutes, then add the caramelized onion paste. Add the chickpea flour, pepper, and salt to taste. Stir in 1 cup (250 ml) water. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is almost done.
4. Add the yellow pepper (if you have it), garam masala, and yogurt and simmer for a minute or so. Add the ground almonds, cream, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, kewra, and 1 cup (250 ml) water and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
5. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve immediately with rice or bread.