Name: Mummy’s wedding-style chicken korma
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 1 × 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces, or 8 skinless thighs, on the bone; 1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves; 2-3 drops screwpine extract (kewra) - optional; 1 green finger chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; large pinch of saffron threads; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 5 cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 ice cube; 2.5 cm (1 inch) ginger, cut into fine strips; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted in a dry frying pan and ground; 4 tablespoons ready-made crispy fried onions; 3 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil; 1½ teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder; ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg; 2 bay leaves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted in a dry frying pan and ground; 400 g (1½ cups) full-fat Greek-style yoghurt, plus 2 tablespoons extra; 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger; 4-6 green cardamom pods, bruised

Preparation info

Serves
6-8

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
2 hr

Appears in

Andaza

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2023

About

Most wedding kormas are oily and one dimensional, but my mother’s version is aromatic and multi-layered; it is best served with basmati rice or naan, and a kachumber-style salad of chopped cucumber and tomato. If you can’t find crispy fried onions in your local supermarket or Asian shop, make them yourself by frying three thinly sliced red onions in 100 ml (3½ fl oz) sunflower oil, in batches, then draining on paper towels.