For those of you who are into Indian cuisine as much as I am, Korma is probably not a new thing. I’ll just give you a quick breakdown just to make sure everybody knows what the heck I’m talking about here. Korma is a dish made of meat and/or vegetables braised in a spiced sauce mixed with yogurt, cream or nuts.
The word “korma” is derived from ḳormā or ḳormah, meaning “braise”, derived in turn from Turkish kavurma, literally meaning “cooked meat”. The flavour of a korma is based on a mixture of spices, including ground coriander and cumin, combined with yogurt kept below curdling temperature and incorporated slowly and carefully with the meat juices. Traditionally, this would have been carried out in a pot set over a very low fire, with charcoals on the lid to provide all-round heat. A korma can be mildly spiced or fiery and may use lamb, chicken, beef or game; some Kormas combine meat and vegetables such as spinach and turnip. (definition provided by wikipedia)
There you have it, I don’t know about you but I always like to know the origin and techniques that come with cooking ethnic food. Makes the whole experience more authentic don’t you think?
As you can notice from the Wiki definition there are different variations of this dish and you can really use any meat or vegetables of your choice, as long as you use the proper spices and method.
I really wanted to make this dairy-free (except for the ghee, which technically contains very little to no lactose), so I had to find a substitute for the yogurt. Usually my go-to for a cream or yogurt substitute is cashew butter but I was very far from any store with the possibility of finding cashews so I just scanned my pantry. Macadamia nut butter? Why not! I’ll just call it Macadamia Chicken Korma!
Well, I’ve had this in restaurants where they made it with cream and yogurt, and although it is quite delicious, l think the macadamia butter version is kicking the dairy version’s ass! It was so darn rich and creamy you would swear there was cheese in there!
If you can’t find macadamia nut butter at your local health food store, cashew butter could also do the trick, or if you have a good food processor you could always buy macadamia nuts and make your own! It’s super easy: place nuts in food processor and blend until creamy (about 3-4 minutes), that’s it! Simple right? And by the way this is also a much cheaper way to get any nut butter, providing you have a good store where you can buy your nuts in bulk.
I did need to add a bit of liquid to the curry however, nut butter being a lot thicker than cream or yogurt, so I opted for my faithful coconut milk. With the coconut milk you don’t need to worry about adding it last or letting the meat cool before you add it, as you would if using yogourt. Just follow the instructions below and you will have a super delicious and oh so creamy curry!
I decided to use fresh peas as my vegetable instead of suggested spinach but I could have also tried it with cauliflower, zucchini or even carrots. The peas were something I’d never tried adding to a curry before and I’m glad I did, it turned out really great.
As always when I make a curry, I like to have something to soak up the delicious sauce. But on a no grain diet you have to get a bit creative sometimes…These turned out so amazing but to be honest I am not 100% sure what type of root vegetable they were. I bought them at a farmers’ market in Guatemala and totally forgot what they were called. They tasted pretty similar to a sweet potato but were a lot more firm and not as sweet. Almost like a regular potato but not quite. Let’s call them Guatemala’s mystery root vegetable.
I suggest serving this dish in shallow bowls, first scooping a serving of the sweet potatoes, and covering with the chicken korma. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
- 4 chicken breast, cubed
- 3/4 cup coconut cream (fat part of the coconut milk, keep the liquid for the curry)
- 1/2 cup macadamia butter
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inch piece of ginger, minced
- 1 tsp tandoori spice mix
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (use the creamy part)
- 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup fresh green peas
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp masala curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp organic ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 6 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp oil or butter
- Start by blending all the chicken marinade ingredients (expect the chicken haha) in the blender and pulse until obtention of a smooth creamy mixture.
- Place chunks of chicken in a mixing bowl and toss in about 1/2 cup of the marinade. Make sure chicken is covered evenly. Reserve the rest of the sauce to make the curry.
- Allow to sit in the marinade for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven at 450f. In large mixing bowl, mix all spices along with minced garlic and oil/melted butter. Place in a lined baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes.
- In a large wok or skillet, melt ghee (coconut oil would work too) until hot. Add all the spices and cook for a minute, allowing them to become fragrant.
- Add diced onion and cook long enough for it to become translucent, about 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
- At this point you can add your chicken pieces and allow them to brown on each side. Add in the rest of the korma sauce as well as the coconut milk and stir well, until the sauce is uniform.
- Throw in the peas, diced romas and sea salt, and cover. Allow to simmer on low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked but still very tender. Set aside.
- I suggest serving this dish in shallow bowls, first scooping a serving of the sweet potatoes, and covering with the chicken korma. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!