Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma

My father had just recovered from a bad flu and still he is very weak.The report said he has got a low platelets count and doctor has advised him to eat dry fruits.So I was going through the new recipe book of mine 660 curries by Raghavendra Iyer for a chicken recipe with dry fruit and I was stuck at the page - 130
which said Razia Syed's Chicken with an almond yogurt sauce(Murghi Korma).I fell in love with it at the first sight.Normally Mughlai cuisines are famous with lots of cream,butter and rich staffs.This recipe has used simple ingredients with a life saving almonds and still so authentic and tasty.It leaves the gravy super tasty and rich without using any unhealthy ingredients. I made this dish with some changes.As I understood that the measurements and ingredients are mostly as per american standard.So I just indianized it with some changes.Instead of canola oil I have used mustard oil and also I have used normal turmeric and chilly powder to get some color.So here goes the recipe.
Note : After making this dish I understood that this same dish can be made with paneer/potato or cauliflower instead of chicken.So my vegetarian friends can also try this out and let me know the result.
Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 750 gms
2. Onion - 3 small
3. Curd - 1/4 cup
4. Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
5. cloves - 5-6
6. pepper corns - 5-6
7. green cardamom -2-3
8. black cardamom - 1-2
9. cinnamon sticks - 2(3" long)
10. almonds - 1/2 cup
11. turmeric powder - 1 tsp
12. chilly powder - 1 tsp
13. bay leaf - 1
14. salt to taste
15. musard oil - 2 tbsp(the original recipe used canola oil )

Method:
Beat the curd and mix ginger paste,garlic paste salt and turmeric powder with it.Add this to the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 1 hr or as long as overnight.I had marinated for 2 hours.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add the whole spices,bay leaf and the onion slices.Fry till the onions are slightly brown at the edges(5-7 mins).Now let it cool and then transfer it to a blendar jar.Add the almonds and 1 cup of water.Add salt and puree it.

Chicken Korma

Now if the oil is very less then add 1 tbsp oil and place the chicken including any marinade in the same kadai and cook over medium high heat until the chicken is lightly browned, 4-6 mins on each side.

Add the onion paste to the kadai. Pour 1/2 cup water into blender jar and wash out the remaining paste.Add this to the kadai covering the chicken pieces.
Once it starts to bubble,reduce the heat to medium low and cover the kadai.
Cook for 15-20 mins stirring in between to cover the chicken pieces evenly with the sauce.

Chicken Korma

It can be served with naan/tandoori/kulcha or even plain rice.

Chicken Korma

I am linking it with cooking with love cousins event hosted by Amrita and organized by Sara

Flavors of cuisines event hosted by shruti and organized by Julie

Only cooking for cookbooks event hosted by Gauri and Organized by Pari