A real deal Murgh Korma is one of the greatest chicken curries there is. Caramelised onions, warm fragrant spices and the finishing touch of cashew cream. Best enjoyed with rotis/flatbreads to scoop up that lush sauce.
A traditional Murgh Korma is not your basic neon orange curry (if you’ve eaten bad ones you know what I mean). There should be no tomatoes! If made well, this is easily one of the best curries to enjoy. It’s super creamy and feels rich and indulgent with minimal ingredients. If cooking a korma/kurma from the south, that creamy element would be coconut milk. But when cooking the royal Mughal version, its usually yogurt based. Both are almost always finished with nuts ( cashews or almonds).
Get Your Korma On
For best results, I usually start the day before I want to eat the Murgh Korma with marinating my chicken overnight (6-8 hours) so the seasoning and flavours really penetrate the chicken and the yogurt helps tenderise it.
It is really important to take that extra time to deeply caramelise onions because that is the base of the sauce as well as main flavour. The curry is mildly spiced with focus on more fragrant/warming spices like black cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. Black cardamom has a strong pungent smoky flavour that is best suited for this curry so it is well worth sourcing from your local Indian/Asian grocer. Green cardamom (which is a lot more floral) doesn’t quite work as a substitute here.
When cooking curries with yogurt that has the tendency to split when cooked, it is important to make sure the cooking happens on a low flame. Also, it helps to bring the yogurt marinated chicken to room temperature before you start cooking. The curry is finished with a swirl of cashew paste for extra creaminess and that luxurious mouthfeel. You want that lush sauce that just clings to the chicken.
Top with the fried onion you save at the start of the cook. That’s it really, no need for superfluous toppings. Don’t garnish with coriander leaves, they have no place here. Less is more!
Murgh Korma
Ingredients
TO MARINATE
- 500 gms Chicken (bone-in, skin off)
- 2 tbsp Yogurt (greek works well)
- 1 tsp Ginger paste
- 1 tsp Garlic paste
- 1 Green Chilli (slit)
- Salt (to taste)
FOR THE CURRY
- 2 cups Onion (thinly sliced)
- 1½ tbsp Ghee
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 4 Cloves
- 4 Peppercorn
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp Caraway seeds/Kalajeera
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 pinch Nutmeg (freshly grated)
- 10 Cashews
- 1 tsp Sugar
- Water (as required)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Combine the chicken and all the marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly so its completely covered. Let it rest overnight (6-8 hours) ideally.
- Cover the cashews in ¼ cup of boiling hot water and let them sit for 20 minutes. Blend into a smooth cream/paste with the same water you soaked them in.
- In a dry fry pan, lightly toast the coriander seeds until fragrant. turn off the heat and add the caraway seeds, let them cool and then pound/grind to a fine powder.
- In a heavy bottom pot, add the ghee and let it melt on low heat. Add the whole spices (cinnamon, black cardamom, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorn) and let them sizzle. Add the sugar and let it melt and become caramel-like.
- Add the thinly sliced onion, season with salt and let them fry for a while. You want to do this on medium heat so you can get even caramelisation. The onions should reduce, become jammy and develop a deep golden brown colour. Don't rush this step, it should take a good 15-20 minutes. Set aside a tablespoon of the onions for garnish later.
- Add the spices (turmeric, chilli, powdered coriander/caraway) and fry until fragrant. Lower the heat and add the marinated chicken and toss it continuously so the yogurt doesnt split/burn. Cover and let it cook until the chicken is tender. If at any point you feel like it sticks to the pot, add spoonfuls of hot water as required and mix nicely. Adjust seasoning (salt/sugar) as needed.
- When the chicken is about 95% cooked, add the creamy cashew paste and let it finish cooking. Freshly grate a pinch of nutmeg and keep it covered. Let it rest for atleast 30 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with the caramelised onions and serve with rotis/flatbreads.
For other delicious recipes from the blog, click here. If you make this recipe and love it, let me know in the comments below. When sharing on Instagram, tag me @rupalbhatikar.
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