This was the first elaborate non-vegetarian dish I learned to make. The recipe was shared by my aunt, Rukmini, who is not only an excellent cook, but the only relative who had the patience to take a plump, eager (read clumsy) 11-year old under her wing to teach her the basics of Indian cookery. From her I learned about the different varieties of dals (lentils) and how long to cook each one. She taught me the difference between a Punjabi “tadka” and an Andhra “baghar,” and how to always fry ginger-garlic until “the raw smell disappeared.”

At 84, she is still a formidable cook and I often turn to her when I need some recipe inspiration. Yesterday was one such day. I misplaced the 3 decade old notebook in which I had diligently chronicled her recipes in my very best teenage cursive. So I had to call her to get the recipe. I had not made this dish in years and it brought back some fond memories.

As the name suggests, this is a dish reserved for special occasions. The original recipe (shared below) calls for the addition of almond paste, heavy cream and khoya (reduced milk solids) into the gravy, making it rather rich. I make a llighter version using homemade yogurt, omitting the cream and khoya. My rendition may not be fit for a king, but it’ll certainly suffice on a weeknight, especially with some hot rice and a side of veggies. Don’t be daunted by the lengthy instructions, if you are diligent with your mise en place, it comes together easily.

Recipe

Shahi Moghlai Chicken Korma

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

500 gms chicken
1 large onion (or 2 medium sized ones), ground to a paste
2 tbsp ghee/oil
2 green cardamom pods, lightly pounded
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 dried red chillies, broken in half
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1” piece of ginger, peeled and grated
5 garlic cloves, pounded well and mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt, divided
1 1/4 cups hot water

For the gravy
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp ghee
8 almonds, blanched
1/2 cup full fat yogurt, whisked
3 tbsp heavy cream
30 gms khoya (optional), crumbled

To garnish
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Method

Wash the chicken, drain and set aside.

For the gravy mixture:
Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a Dutch oven. Add the sliced onion and fry with 1/4 tsp of salt until well browned. Drain, remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Blend together 1/4 cup of yogurt and the blanched almonds into a fine paste. Add the fried onions, the cream, the khoya and the rest of the yogurt, blend well and set aside.

For the chicken:
Heat 2 tbsp oil/ghee in the same pan. Fry the ground onions with 1/4 tsp of salt until they are well browned and the raw smell has completely disappeared (this is the most tedious part of this recipe - it takes time, so do be patient. It also tends to splatter, so use a splatter shield if needed).

Once the onion paste is well browned, add the chicken, cardamom, cumin, peppercorns, bay leaf, red chillies, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Turn up the heat and stir well.

Sauté the chicken, adding in the garlic water to deglaze the pan. Sauté until the chicken juices are sealed in and the pieces turn opaque. Once the raw smell of the garlic disappears, mix in 1 1/4 cups of hot water.

Stir well, scraping all the masala from the sides of the pan. Then cover and simmer until the chicken is tender.

Once the chicken is cooked, stir in the yogurt mixture. Simmer (uncovered) for 5 more minutes until the gravy is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Remove from heat, serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.