Korma is my favorite Indian curry, and Indian is my favorite “takeout” meal. There’s a place nearby me that’s always the first place I think of when UberEats offers me a deal, and I have ordered a fair amount recently (because they keep giving me deals!!). But as I was eating one night, I decided to look up a recipe for Korma, and it’s… actually not that hard to make. The only ingredient that wasn’t something common (for me) was Garam Masala, and I found it on Amazon. All the other ingredients were very common, and the process wasn’t at all grueling or time consuming. The longest parts were waiting for the chicken to marinate (you can do this the day before), and then waiting for my naan to rise. And… I really don’t consider waiting to be difficult cooking. So I decided one Sunday to spend my afternoon cooking this Korma (which I am calling a Korma stew, because I put way too much stuff in it), and making homemade naan. And I really feel like I’ve leveled up. It feels like a power move to be able to make your favorite takeout at home, whenever you want it.
Do I still think the Korma I order for delivery is better? Well. Yes. But that’s a high bar, and this was my first time!
I think one thing I would change is how much I tried to put in this curry! I wanted to combine chicken and veggies, but I put in too much for the sauce. I think next time I make it, I’ll just do chicken, peas, and carrots. I also don’t cook chicken very often, and raw chicken is very off putting to me, so I probably left this simmering on the stove for way too long. The chicken was a little dry. But… that’s just something I need to get better at.
The naan, on the other hand, I have hardly any notes for. The only other time I made naan, I used a recipe that didn’t have any rising time, and it was just… okay. This naan was perfect though. It cooks very quickly, and it came out having those little brown areas that I love so much. A little butter on some fresh-off-the-stove naan? Dipped in Korma?? Nothing better. Next time, I think the only thing I’ll do differently is roll it out a little thinner. Mainly just so I can get more pieces out of it.
It’s always excited to try something totally brand new in the kitchen, and I’ve really missed cooking consistently. While I do get ten meals a week from work for free… I miss getting to pick my own meals and spend time in the kitchen trying new things. Someday, when I don’t work 50 hours a week and I make enough money to not have to rely on free food from work, I have no doubt I’ll get way more adventurous in the kitchen again. But for now, weekend korma cooking is a good start.
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PinIngredients
For the Marinade:
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs, chopped into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup cashews lightly chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup plain yogurt (Greek)
For the Korma:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2–3 spicy chili peppers chopped – I used serrano peppers
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ½ cup chicken stock or more as needed, to simmer
- 1 cup coconut milk or cashew milk (I used cashew)
- Optional additions, to make this a chicken and veggie Korma, in whatever quantity you want, depending on what ratio you’d like:
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 head cauliflower
- chopped carrots
- potatoes
- peas
Instructions
First, prepare the marinade paste, and put over ingredients:
- Add the chopped chicken to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the cashew nuts to a food processor and pulse to break them up. Add the tomato paste, garlic, ginger, and seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse to form a thick paste. If it is too thick, add a couple tablespoons of water to thin it just slightly.
- Mix the paste in a small bowl with the yogurt.
- Spoon the marinade over the chopped chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop. You can leave it overnight to develop even more flavor.
If you’re making this a veggie and chicken Korma, prepare your vegetables next:
- Strain chickpeas, peel and chop potatoes and carrots, chop cauliflower, and prepare peas.
Then, bring everything together:
- When you’re ready to cook, heat the oil in a large pan.
- Add the peppers and onion and cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the chicken with all of the marinade, along with the chicken stock. Stir and cook for 15 minutes, stirring here and there.
- Once the chicken is cooked, add in your vegetables. They can just be in for the next few steps.
- Stir in the cashew milk and simmer for 10 more minutes. You can simmer longer if you’d like to let the flavors develop more.
- Garnish with fresh chopped herbs, spicy red chili flakes, and cashews to serve.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife, plus more for rolling (see note)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Heaping ½ teaspoon anise seeds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup warm water (about 100°F)
- 2 tablespoons melted salted butter, for brushing on finished naans
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional), for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and anise seeds (if using). Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together, the yogurt, olive oil, and ¾ cup warm water (about 100°F). Add the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, dust your hands with flour and knead gently into a soft, slightly sticky dough (sprinkle more flour, little by little, if the dough is too wet to work with). As soon as it comes together, stop kneading.
Lightly oil or spray a clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let sit in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, or until about doubled in size.
When ready, divide your dough into 6 equal pieces.
Warm a large cast iron or heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Using a rolling pin, roll one of the dough balls into an oval shape about ⅛-inch thick (it should be about 9 x 4 inches). Pick up the dough and flip-flop it back and forth between your hands to release any excess flour; then gently lay the dough in the dry skillet and cook until the top is bursting with air bubbles and the bottom is golden and blackened in spots, a few minutes. Flip the naan and cook about 1-2 minutes more until the the bottom is lightly browned and blistered in spots. Remove the naan from the skillet and brush with melted butter.
Repeat with the remaining naans, adjusting the heat lower if necessary as you go. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve warm.