Safed Murgh Korma: Indian White Chicken Korma Recipe

Korma is a mild, aromatic Muslim court dish.  Originally, this dish was made solely with almonds, but nowadays, chefs like to combine them with cashews.  This creamy curry has a sweet taste to it.

White Chicken Korma with Basmati rice.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 5 ounces yogurt, plain
• 1/3 cup ghee OR clarified butter
• 2 ounces almonds, blanched
• 2 ounces cashews, unsalted
• 1 cinnamon stick OR bay leaf
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 green chilies, chopped
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 whole green chile
• 1 clove
• 2 1/4 pounds chicken breasts, skinned
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mace powder
• salt

Instructions

1. Soak poppy seeds in 1/2 cup water for 1 hour.  Drain the water and grind to a fine paste.
2. Hang the yogurt in cheesecloth for 1 hour to drain the whey.  Put yogurt in a bowl and whisk.
3. Set aside 1 tablespoon of ghee and heat the remainder in a pot.
4. Add almonds, cashews, and the cinnamon stick or bay leaf and stir-fry for 8 minutes over medium heat.
5. Add onions and stir-fry for 10 minutes or until browned.
6. Add green chiles, cardamoms, and poppy seeds and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and take out the cinnamon stick or bay leaf.
9. Blend mixture and puree until smooth.
10. Add 1 tables of ghee (set aside earlier) to the pot, along with the garlic, ginger, whole green chile, and clove.  Stir-fry for 1 minute.
11. Add chicken pieces.
12. Add yogurt and stir continuously to prevent curdling.
13. Add nutmeg and mace.
14. Add salt to taste.
15. Add 1 1/2 cups of hot water and cook over low heat until chicken is fully cooked.
16. Serve over a bed of rice.

Cardamom pods and ground cardamom are used in many Indian dishes.

Murgh Makhani: Indian Butter Chicken Recipe

Chicken Makhani can be made with tikkas (pieces) or quarters.  It is one of the most popular Indian curries both locally and around the world.  This dish originated in the 1950s at a restaurant in Dehli named Moti Mahal.

Murgh Makhani

This recipe calls for 2 pounds of chicken, either in quarters or in smaller pieces (tikkas).


Ingredients: Marinade

• 2 cups yogurt, plain
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 inch square fresh ginger
• 2/3 teaspoon red chile powder OR paprika
• 14 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/ teaspoons lime juice

Ingredients: Makhani Sauce

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves)
• 3 ounces chilled butter
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• a few drops of vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• salt
• 1 1/2 ounces light cream

Garam Masala is a blend of black & white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, black & white cumin seeds, and black, brown, and green cardamom pods.

Instructions

1. Place the yogurt in a piece of cheesecloth and hang to allow the whey to drip through.
2. Puree the garlic and ginger in a blender.
3. Add marinade spices, salt, and lime juice to the yogurt and blend well
4. Scald the tomatoes for the sauce and peel off the skin.   Reduce tomatoes to a semi-pulp with a fork or potato masher.
5. Put the kasuri methi into a grinder and reduce to powder form.
6. Make gashes in the chicken.
7. Marinate the chicken in the yogurt mixture for 1 - 2 hours.  For best results, marinate chicken overnight.
8. When ready to cook, put 4 -5 tablespoons of oil in a large, thick-bottomed skillet.
9. Cook chicken with the marinade over low heat until done.  Turn chicken over during cooking.
10. Put tomato pulp into a skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.
11. Add chilled butter and paprika.  Let it cook for 1 minute. 
12. Add kasuri methi, garam masala powder, and salt to taste.
13. Add cream and stir.
14. Put sauce in the same pan as the chicken and mix well.
15. Serve over a bed of Basmati rice.

** Do not cook butter for too long or it will turn to ghee, which has a grainy texture.

Massaman Curry Paste Recipe

Thai Massaman curry paste is used to make none other than Massaman Curry.  It is a Thai Curry with a Muslim origin.  The paste is made in a similar fashion as the other Thai curry pastes.

Massaman Curry Paste

Ingredients

• 7 - 10 chilies, dried
• 1 tablespoon kha
• 2 tablespoons caraway, powdered OR 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2 tablespoons red onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 cardamom seeds
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste or kapi
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Brown garlic and red onions in a pan.  Set aside.
2. Remove seeds from chilies, drain, and chop finely.
3. Cook chilies with the kha, powdered caraway or coriander seeds, lemongrass, cinnamon, and cloves over a low heat until browned.
4. Pound in a mortar and pestle until you get the desired consistency.
5. Add salt, the browned garlic and onion mixture, and kapi.
6. Heat the pan with 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the paste for 3 minutes.
7. Add 5 cardamom seeds and 5 bay leaves.
8. Remove from heat and cool.
9. Paste can be stored in jars and used as needed.

A mortar and pestle for making curry paste.

Thai Chicken Green Curry Recipe

Thai chicken green curry is a local favorite that tends to be just as hot, if not hotter than red curry, which can be extremely spicy.  Thai chicken green curry is made with green curry paste as a base.  Click here for an easy green curry paste recipe.

Thai Chicken Green Curry Over Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken breast, sliced
• 2 cups coconut milk (or light cream)
• 2 tablespoons green curry paste
• 1 cup sweet peas
• 2 green chilies, cut lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons nampla or fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Heat oil, in a saucepan, over a medium fire.
2. Stir-fry the green curry paste for about 1 minute.
3. Add chicken and nampla.
4. Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil.
5. Add sweet peas and green chilies and let simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Stir a few times and remove from heat.
7. Serve over rice or khanom jeen (Thai rice noodles)

Thai Chicken Curry Can Be Eaten Over Khanom Jeen or Thai Rice Noodles

Nam Prik Gang Karie: Thai Yellow Curry Paste Recipe

One of the more popular Thai curries in the Western Hemisphere is yellow curry.  The paste is made with a little bit of curry powder.  Yellow curry tends to be sweeter and milder than the others.

Cloves and Cinnamon are used to sweeten the curry paste.

Ingredients

• 7 chilies, dried
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemongrass, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Caraway Seeds

Instructions

1. Stir-fry coriander seeds and caraway seeds on low heat, without oil.
2. When brown, remove seeds and cool.  
3. Pound seeds with a mortar and pestle, and set aside.
4. Remove seeds from chilies and soak the pods in cold water.  Drain, then pound.
5. Add all other ingredients and pound until finely ground.
6. Mix in coriander and caraway seeds.
7. The paste can be stored in a jar and used as needed.

Yellow Curry Paste

Curry paste makes up the base of all Thai curries.  When cooked into different curies, a variety of meats and vegetables can be used.

Nam Prik Gang Kiew Wan: Thai Green Curry Paste Recipe

One of Thailand's more popular curries is of the green variety, made with a green curry paste base.  Green curry paste is very easy to make at home, even though it can be purchased from Asian grocers.  Homemade paste is fresher, making the curry more pungent and burst with flavor.

Thai Green Curry Paste

Ingredients

• 10 green chilies, fresh

• 2 tablespoons lemongrass, chopped (can substitute lemon peel)

• 1 tablespoon coriander root, chopped

• 1 tablespoon red onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

• 1 teaspoon kha, chopped

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, pounded

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, pounded

• 7 white peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste or kapi

Thai Green Chilies

Instructions

1. Stir-fry all ingredients together, except the kapi, in a pan until they are all mixed and fragrant.
2. Place stir-fried ingredients into a mortar.
3. Add kapi.
4. Using the pestle, pound the mixture into a smooth paste.
5. The paste can be stored in a jar and used as needed.

Thai green curry paste is used in a variety of dishes.

Nam Prik Gang Ped: Thai Red Curry Paste Recipe

At the heart of Thai cooking is curry paste.  Recipes are passed down from generation to generation as a result.  Although pastes can be purchased from retail stores both online and in person, nothing beats the taste of Thai curry made with freshly ground paste.

Thai red curry is one of the more popular types in the country.  It is typically used to make Chicken Red Curry, but other meats can easily be substituted.

Thai Chilies

Ingredients

• 7 - 10 big chilies, dried
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lemongrass, chopped (can substitute lemon peel)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste or kapi

Optional Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon makrut rind
• 1 tablespoon kha, chopped

Kha, or Galangal, part of the ginger root family, is a common ingredient in Thai food.

Instructions

1. In a frying pan, brown caraway and coriander seeds over low heat without oil.  Let cool.
2. Place the seeds into a mortar and pound with a pestle until finely ground.  Set aside.
3. Remove the seeds from the chilies and soak the pods in cold water.  Add the chilies to the mortar and pound them into the mixture of caraway and coriander seeds.
4. Add salt.  Pound.
5. Add remaining ingredients.  Pound.
6. The paste can be stored in a glass jar and used as needed.

A mortar and pestle is used to make the red curry paste.

Once the paste is finely ground it is ready to be used to make Thai Red Curry and other scrumptious dishes.