A pale, gently spiced korma thickened with blended soaked cashews rather than flour or ground almonds. Mild enough for children, still properly fragrant.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
40 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.25
Difficulty
medium
Korma got a bad name in Britain from sugary takeaway versions. Made properly it is a restrained, almost floral curry, where the sweetness comes from long-cooked onions and the body from nuts. Soaking and blending the cashews gives a silkier result than ready-ground nut powders.
Drain the soaked cashews and blend with 150ml fresh water until completely smooth, scraping the jug down twice. Set aside.
If your blender is not powerful, push the cashew cream through a sieve. Any grittiness will be obvious in the finished sauce.
Melt the ghee in a wide casserole over a medium heat. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and let them sizzle for 45 seconds.
Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly for 18 to 20 minutes until soft, sweet and pale gold. Do not let them go dark brown, or the korma will lose its pale colour.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, then add the ground coriander and white pepper and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken and turn it in the onions for 4 to 5 minutes until it turns opaque all over.
Lower the heat right down and whisk in the yoghurt a spoonful at a time. Once it is fully incorporated, add the cashew cream, the remaining salt and 100ml water.
Simmer very gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring often so the nut cream does not catch on the base.
Stir in the cream and garam masala, warm through for 2 minutes and remove the cinnamon stick. Taste, adjust salt, and scatter with toasted flaked almonds if using.