Shahi Korma

a royal Mughlai braise of chicken in a pale, opulent gravy thickened and enriched with ground cashews, yoghurt, and cream, mildly spiced and fragrant with cardamom and saffron

Origin: India

From the journey of Cashew.

Korma is the great braised dish of the Mughlai kitchen, and in its 'shahi' (royal) form it is the very picture of the luxurious court cooking that the Mughals brought to northern India. What gives the shahi korma its pale, glossy, opulent gravy is the cashew: soaked and ground to a smooth paste, the nut thickens and enriches the sauce without the heat of chilli or the colour of tomato, lending body, sheen, and a faint sweetness that is the signature of this style of cooking. The chicken is gently braised with yoghurt, cream, fried onions, and a delicate, aromatic spicing of cardamom, cloves, and mace, finished with saffron and sometimes a little rosewater, so that the dish is rich and fragrant rather than fiery. The cashew, costly and prized since the Portuguese brought it to India, is exactly the ingredient for a cuisine that prized refinement and richness above all, and the korma remains the dish in which the nut's role as the silent enricher of the Indian gravy is most beautifully shown.

Ingredients

The Chicken

800 g chicken thighs, bone-in or boneless, cut into pieces

The Gravy

60 g raw cashews
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 tbsp ghee or oil
150 g thick plain yoghurt, whisked
100 ml single cream
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

The Whole Spices

4 pods green cardamom
2 cloves
1 blade mace, and a small piece of cinnamon

The Ground Spices

1 tsp ground coriander
0.5 tsp white pepper
1 pinch saffron, steeped in 2 tbsp warm milk
salt, to taste; rosewater and slivered cashews to finish

Method

Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes, then blend to a completely smooth paste with a little of the soaking water. Set aside.
Fry the sliced onions in the ghee over a medium heat until deep golden and soft. Lift out half and blend to a paste; leave the rest in the pan.
Add the whole spices to the pan and let them sizzle, then the ginger-garlic paste, frying for a minute. Add the chicken and brown lightly on all sides.
Lower the heat and stir in the whisked yoghurt a little at a time, then the blended onion, the ground coriander, and white pepper. Cook gently for a few minutes.
Stir in the cashew paste and enough water to make a creamy gravy, season with salt, cover, and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is thick and glossy.
Finish with the cream, the saffron milk, and a few drops of rosewater. Warm through without boiling, scatter with slivered cashews, and serve with naan or pulao.

Notes

Lamb makes an equally regal korma; brown it well and braise for longer until tender. The dish should be mild, pale, and fragrant; for more warmth add a slit green chilli, but a true shahi korma relies on aroma rather than heat. Ground almonds can stand in for some of the cashew, but the cashew gives the smoothest, sweetest gravy.

The Gastrographer

Name: Shahi Korma
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 800 g chicken thighs, bone-in or boneless, cut into pieces; 60 g raw cashews; 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 4 tbsp ghee or oil; 150 g thick plain yoghurt, whisked; 100 ml single cream; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 4 pods green cardamom; 2 cloves; 1 blade mace, and a small piece of cinnamon; 1 tsp ground coriander; 0.5 tsp white pepper; 1 pinch saffron, steeped in 2 tbsp warm milk; salt, to taste; rosewater and slivered cashews to finish

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control