Awadhi Murgh Korma

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 120 g plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp ghee
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 40 g cashew nuts
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• 2.5 cm cinnamon stick
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 10 saffron strands
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1/4 tsp ground green cardamom
• 2 drops kewra water
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 250 ml water

Before you cook

• Mix the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, ground coriander, cumin, chilli powder, turmeric and salt.
• Cover the chicken and leave it to marinate for 30 minutes.
• Soak the cashews in 60 ml of hot water for 15 minutes.
• Crush the saffron strands between your fingers.

Steps

1. Heat the ghee in a wide heavy pan over medium heat.
2. Fry the sliced onions for 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are evenly light golden.
3. Lift the onions out with a slotted spoon and leave them to cool on a plate.
4. Blend the cooled onions with 60 ml of water into a smooth paste.
5. Blend the soaked cashews with their soaking water into a smooth cream.
6. Return the pan of ghee to medium heat and add the green cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns and cinnamon.
7. Fry the whole spices for 40 seconds until they smell warm.
8. Add the marinated chicken and cook uncovered for 7 minutes until it releases its fat and the yoghurt tightens around it.
9. Stir in the onion paste, green chillies and the 250 ml of water.
10. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
11. Uncover the pan and stir in the cashew cream.
12. Simmer gently for 5 minutes until the gravy is thick enough to coat the chicken.
13. Sprinkle over the mace, ground cardamom, saffron and kewra water.
14. Take the pan off the heat, cover it and let the korma sit for 5 minutes.
15. Scatter with coriander and serve with sheermal or plain rice.