Korma originates from the Indian sub-continent and features meat
(or vegetables) braised in a thick sauce/gravy of yogurt and
spices. Korma is anglicized from qorma meaning "braise"
in Urdu. It is a dish introduced by Mughals in their
incursions into then India.
My introduction to authentic korma was in Islamabad in the
winter of 2006/2007 (stories
here and
here). Thus, I looked for a
Pakistani recipe to follow for my made-from-scratch effort. I
used the following method ("Cooking with Fem" on YouTube):
-
Marinate 500 g lamb or mutton in:
Yogurt 200 g
Ginger, garlic and coriander leaves paste 3 tsp
Coriander powder 3 tsp
Chilli powder 2 tsp (or to taste)
Zeera powder 1 tsp (omit if you cannot find it)
Tumeric powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Leave for at least 30 minutes
-
In 3 tbsp of oil (I think a lot more than
3 was used by Fem) fry:
Black pepper 1/2 tsp
Clove 5
Green cardamon 3
Cinnamon stick 1
Star anise 1
Black cardamon 1
Mace 1
-
Add the marinated lamb to the spices and
hard fry for ten minutes.
-
Lower the heat and cook for another ten
minutes to lose the raw spice taste of the marinate (the fry
should become aromatic).
-
Add ground fried onions (quantity is from
two large onions) and continue to fry for a few minutes.
-
Add 1 cup of water and cook under low
heat until the meat is tender.
-
When ready, add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
and garam masala to taste.
-
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves
just before serving.
My effort served with extra long
basmati rice and poppadoms
(circular pieces of thin spiced, bread made from ground lentils
fried in oil).
The recipe turned
out to be sedentary and I shall look for a more robust one which
evokes my time in Islamabad. Note that almost every korma I came
across in Islamabad, had a thick layer of oil on top. When I
once was at a stall there to buy a korma takeaway, the chef did
this and that to prepare it and at the end just before he packed
the serving up, he ladled some of the korma oil from a pot and
slathered my takeaway portion with it. Have a look
here for what I mean. |