Chicken Korma

It was my friend V's birthday last week. She is from Philippines and a great fan of Indian food. She came to my desk and invited me to the party, and before leaving, she tured back and said, "Can you please do me a favor? Can you cook Chicken korma for me, for the party, Please?"

Chicken Korma

Hmmmm... now that was a a big task for me, because everytime I cook chicken I just put in all the spices and other ingredients just according to my instincts..... And now to please everyone at the party, I had to be a bit more careful. And finally the outcome was pretty good.
This is the easiest korma recipe I have. Not too spicy, but with lots of flavor. I guess anybody who wants to try Indian food, this is a good one to start with.

Chicken Korma

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken pieces, skinned and cut into bite sized pieces.
6 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp Garam Masala
4 cardamom pods
2 onions, pureed
2 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 cup Yougurt
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp Cashew nuts, paste
1/2 cup Coconut Milk

How I did it:

1. Marinate the Chicken with a tsp of turmeric and half of chili powder and salt. Keep aside till further use.
   
2. Put oil in wide frying pan and set over high heat. When hot, add dry spices. Stir and add onion paste. Add ginger garlic paste. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
3. Add Yogurt, put in chopped tomatoes and fry for another minute. Put in chicken, remaining half of chili powder, salt and about 100 ml water. Bring to boil. Cover turn heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, turning chicken pieces over now and then. Add the cashew nut paste and fry for a little while.
4. Remove cover, add coconut milk and cook on high heat for another 7-8 minutes or until gravy is thickened. Stir gently.
5. Serve hot with rice.

Chicken Korma Served with Plain Rice

And the Verdict:
It was a huge hit at the party, V was very happy.
Next day, my mail box was filled with mails requesting for the recipe... Hmm now that says a lot is'nt it?