Chicken Korma
Now I know what you’re thinking – cooking a curry from scratch is hard work!! It isn’t that hard take it from me. You do need to have a selection of spices but they can all keep well in air tight jars so they’ll be fresh again next time. This curry uses readily available spices, is quite mild so you don’t scare off your guest and is well worth the effort. The best thing is to make it a day before so that the taste can really develop. You’ll love it...and so will your impressed guest (leave the spice jars out just so they know you’ve made the effort!!).

Prep time: 20 minutes                   Cooking time: 60 minutes                Panty drop rating: 4.3/5

Ingredients:
750g chicken pieces – small cubes
3 tomatoes (riper the better) – de-seeded and blended/blitzed
125ml natural yoghurt
125ml cream
Chopped coriander – 1 Tbsp

For the Korma Paste:
2 onions – one sliced finely and one roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
3cm piece fresh ginger – roughly chopped
1/3 cup raw cashews
2 large chillies – de-seeded and dried if possible (to make them a little hotter) – you could use 1 teaspoon ground chilli powder instead.
190ml (3/4 cup) water – ½ cup at the start and ¼ cup at the end.
2 Tsp ground coriander
1 Tsp ground cumin
¼ Tsp ground cinnamon
¼ Tsp ground cardamom
¼ Tsp ground nutmeg
¼ Tsp ground cloves
½ Tsp saffron strands in 2 Tbsp boiling water
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tsp salt

Method:
First up we need to make the korma paste. You’ll need your blitzer/blender at the ready!
Chop up your onions – one sliced finely and set aside in a bowl. The other chop coarsely and place it in the blitzer. Then peel the garlic, cut in half and add to the onion. Peel and chop the ginger and add with the cashews to the blitzer. Blend for 10 seconds and then add 125ml water. Blend until the paste is smooth. Then add your dry spices and blend again. Crush up the saffron strands and add to the 2 Tbsp of boiling water so they dissolve. Then add to the paste and blend again. All up this will take about 20 minutes.

Then heat your large saucepan with the 3 Tbsp vegetable oil in it. Add the sliced onion you had set aside and fry until it softens. Add your blended paste and continue to fry over a medium heat. Rinse out the blender with the remaining water and add it to the saucepan along with the salt. Continue to fry stirring frequently until the paste is the consistency of runny peanut butter. This will take about 20 minutes.

Now add your chicken pieces and stir well so that all the pieces are well covered with the paste. Continue with the medium heat under the pan. Blitz the tomatoes and add to the pan. Then cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes. Add the yoghurt and cream to the saucepan and mix well. Stir through the coriander and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Then let rest.

Best served the next day, re-heated on a bed of basmati rice, garnished with fresh coriander and a side plate of puppodums. But if you can’t wait, go ahead. It’ll still taste great!