Homey Chicken Korma | Bangladeshi Style Recipe

One of my favorite Bengali dishes, Chicken Korma!

Lightly sweet, savory, creamy, and fragrant. Best served with some steamed white rice or pulao. You can even add in some water to make the sauce thinner, and eat it with rutis (rotis/flour tortillas) for breakfast in the morning. Absolutely delicious!

This dish is usually made creamy with the addition of yogurt,

I don’t like to use too much as it can get tangy so I only use 2 tablespoons. Although I don’t usually use cream in this homey version, adding some heavy cream adds a lot of rich creaminess you don’t won’t otherwise. Try it out both ways!

If yogurt is not available, you can use sour cream or skip it and use just heavy cream instead.

You can also jazz this dish up by adding potatoes!

Slice medium potatoes into quarters or medium-large size cubes and fry them in the oil till they turn light brown before starting on your curry in the same pan. Take the potatoes out, and start making your curry base. Add the potatoes back in 10ish minutes before your curry is done to finish cooking them. I especially love this when I make the gravy thin, soo good with some ruti in the morning!

Watch the full process in the video below:

INGREDIENTS

• 2.5 lbs chicken small pieces
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 medium onions sliced about 1.5-2 cups
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cardamoms
• 3 cloves
• 5 black pepper pods
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 5 whole green chilis
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Golden Fried Onions for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS 

Heat a large pot on medium heat and add some oil. Wait for it to heat up, then add in your sliced onions and fry till they start to brown. Then add in all your whole spices, fry for a few minutes until aromatic

Add in the ginger garlic pastes. Cook for a few minutes until the raw smells are gone, adding in a bit of water to keep it from burning if needed.

Then add in all of your ground spices. Fry in the oil for a minute.

Then add in a splash of water to keep it from burning. Reduce and fry everything in the oil for a couple minutes and then add in some more water and reduce again. Repeat this step a few times until the sauce thickens and the oils separate. The more time you take the better your curry will taste.

You can take out your whole spices at this point if you want. Then add in your chicken pieces

Fry in the curry for a few minutes until they brown a little, adding in water if needed to keep the curry from burning.

Then add in your yogurt, salt, and sugar. Mix well. Add cream if using.

Put on a lid and let simmer for about 20 minutes on low heat, checking in the middle to see if it needs some water to keep the bottom from burning.

Once your chicken is fully cooked, add in your whole green chilis, and some water if you want the sauce to be thinner, and cook for 5 more minutes.

Turn off the heat, and drizzle on some ghee. Sprinkle with some golden fried onions and enjoy!