Ingredients & how to make it

Ingredients

1. 1 kg chicken, cut into curry pieces
2. 250 to 300 g onions, thinly sliced
3. Oil
4. 1 cup plain yogurt
5. 2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
6. 2 bay leaves
7. 8 to 10 green cardamom
8. 5 to 6 cloves
9. 3 tbsp coriander powder
10. 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder and Noor's secret masala tikki
11. 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
12. 2 tsp shahi jeera or regular cumin seeds
13. ½ tsp black pepper
14. ½ mace flower
15. 1 small, chickpea sized piece of nutmeg
16. 1 tsp kewra water, optional

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the thinly sliced onions and fry over medium heat, stirring regularly, until lightly golden. Do not let them turn dark, as this can make the korma too dark.

2. Remove the onions and spread them out to cool. Place them in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, then crush them by hand into coarse pieces. You can also pulse them in a mixer if needed.

3. Allow the remaining oil to cool to room temperature. Add the yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, bay leaves, green cardamom, cloves, coriander powder, both chilli powders and salt. Mix thoroughly until the yogurt mixture is smooth.

4. Add the chicken pieces and mix until they are well coated in the yogurt and spices.

5. Turn on the heat and cook on high until the mixture comes to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is around 70 to 80% cooked.

6. Meanwhile, grind the shahi jeera, green cardamom, black pepper, mace and nutmeg into a fine aromatic spice powder.

7. Add the ground spice mixture and crushed fried onions to the chicken. Mix well. The chicken and yogurt will release moisture, so do not add water.

8. Cover and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the gravy has thickened.

9. Add the kewra water, if using, and mix gently. Cover and let the korma rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

10. Serve hot with rice, roti, naan.