Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken 

breasts, cut into stew chunks

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 ounce tamarind pulp (a golf ball sized piece)

1 cup boiling water

10 green cardamom pods (seeds removed from pods, pods discarded)

6 cloves

3 star anise, whole

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

4 plum tomatoes, each cut into 8 

pieces

1 pint half-and-half

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 -4 hot red chili peppers, 

dried

3 black cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

3 garlic cloves, minced

9 shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup raw cashews, crushed in 

a mortar and pestle

1 inch piece gingerroot, minced

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt

Method:

Combine chicken and vinegar in a bowl, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.Place tamarind in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand 20 minutes.Combine the green cardamom seeds, cloves, star anise and pepper in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind up combined.Mix the ground spices in tamarind sauce; aside.Combine whole tomatoes and half and half in a food processor or blender and puree and set aside.

Heat oil in a deep, heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring in red, black cardamom and cinnamon stick peppers and cook 2 minutes.Add garlic, shallots, cashews and ginger cook, stirring, 6-8 minutes.Add the reserved tamarind and ground spice mixture and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.Add reserved tomato mixture, turn heat to medium-low.Stir in garam masala and cook until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt.Add chicken and cook, stirring, for 7 minutes.

Note: When soaking tamarind, press the dough with the back of a spoon, tamarind will start to decompose after soaking time is completed, break the tamarind with your fingers or a spoon, then push the mixture through a fine sieve.

Recipe Video: