Chicken Korma Curry

 I think that it's fair to say that Jeremy and I are on a great, big curry cooking adventure.  We are currently cooking our way through Jamie Oliver's chapter on "Easy Curries" from Food Revolution. There is definitely a higher level of complexity with the spice combinations and the instructions for how to grind and toast them, so these recipes are not for the faint of heart.  I'm learning that a true curry dish does not use "curry powder" but rather has you dive in to toasting and mixing various different spices to make your own 'curry' or, 'mixture'.  You may not have all of the necessary ingredients on hand to make your own paste, but, if you are keen to start making your own, I highly recommend you seek them out. If you want to start easy, just pick up some Korma or mild curry paste, such as Patak's.  I've listed the recipe for making your own paste first, followed by the recipe for the dish itself. Bon appétit!

Straight from the cookbook: 
"This is a much-loved curry. It's got a slightly milder, creamier taste than other curries, which makes it a great one for kids to try. Because I love fresh chillies I've added one here, but if you want to keep the flavours nice and mild, feel free to leave it out. Thigh meat is cheaper and tastier than breast meat, so you can use better-quality chicken if price is an issue. But if you prefer breast meat, use that instead. Kormas are also delicious made with shrimp."

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* Ingredients for making your own Chicken Korma PASTE: 

2 cloves garlic / a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger / 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper / 1 tsp. garam masala / 1/2 tsp. sea salt / 2 tbs. peanut oil / 1 tbs. tomato paste / 2 fresh green chillies (try your chili to test how hot it is!) / 3 tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut / 2 tbs. almond flour / a small bunch of fresh cilantro

Spices for toasting: 2 tsp. cumin seeds (we used plain cumin) / 1 tsp. coriander seeds  

Directions: "toast" your cumin and coriander seeds by placing them in a small frying pan and cooking on medium for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Then throw everything in to a food processor and pulse. Easy!

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Ingredients for making your Chicken Korma DISH:
800g skinless and boneless chicken thighs or breasts, preferably free-range or organic
2 medium onions
1 fresh green chilli, optional

Patak's Korma paste is a good
substitute for making your own 

thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
1 can of chickpeas
groundnut or vegetable oil
knob of butter
½ x 290g jar of Pataks korma curry paste (or make your own or listed above)*
1 can of coconut milk
small handful flaked almonds plus extra for serving
2 heaped tbsp shredded coconut
sea salt and frshly ground black pepper
natural yogurt (for serving)
1 lemon

Directions for making your Chicken Korma DISH:

1. Cut the chicken into 1" cubes. Peel, half and thinly slice the onion. Peel and finely mince the ginger. Seed and thinly slice the chili if using. Clean and stem the cilantro, reserving the leaves for service, and chopping the stems very finely for inclusion in the curry.

2. Put a large saute pan on high heat and add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken (in batches if necessary so that you don't overcrowd the pan), season with salt and pepper, and cook until nicely browned on all sides, remove from the pan and reserve. Dump out any excess fat, then add the onion, ginger, cilantro stems, and chili (if using) to the pan with the butter, and cook until golden in color, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Add the curry paste, coconut milk, chick peas, half of the almonds, shredded coconut and chicken to the pan. Add about a 1/2 can worth of water to the mix to loosen it a little. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 1/2 hour. Check for seasoning before serving, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

4. Serve with some nice fluffy rice and/or naan, topped with a dollop of yogurt, some sliced almonds, and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro leaves. Pass wedges of lemon at the table to squeeze over the top if you like.

- recipe cred to Jamie Oliver