Rick Stein's Chicken Korma Recipe

This delicious chicken korma recipe by Rick Stein is easy to make from scratch and promises to satisfy the whole family.

Ingredients

• 1 x 1.5kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 1.5kg chicken pieces, skinned

For the coconut paste:

• 125g fresh or frozen coconut flesh, chopped or grated
• 50g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 5 tsp white poppy seeds

For the masala:

• 50g ghee or vegetable oil
• 6 cloves
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised with a rolling pin
• 3cm piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp salt
• ½–¾ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 200ml water
• 125ml thick Greek-style yogurt mixed with 125ml water
• 3 black cardamom pods, seeds only, finely ground
• 2 tbsp raisins, soaked in 4 tbsp boiling water for about 10 minutes, then drained

Method

1. For the coconut paste, blend the coconut, almonds and poppy seeds together in a mini food processor to a paste, adding enough hot water to give a silken texture

2. For the masala, blend the onions in a mini food processor to a paste, adding a splash of water if needed. Heat the ghee in a sturdy, deep-sided pan over a medium heat, add the cloves, green cardamom and cinnamon stick and fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the onion paste and salt and fry for 10 minutes until any liquid has evaporated and the onions are softened and translucent, but not coloured. Stir in the chilli powder, then add the chicken pieces to the pan and fry for 10 minutes to brown slightly. Add the water and the coconut paste, bring to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes

3. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the yogurt mixture, then return to a gentle heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, adding a little water if it starts to stick, until the chicken is cooked through and the masala thick and rich. Stir in the ground black cardamom, scatter with the raisins and serve