Recipe Buttermilk chicken korma

Morning Glory said:
I'm sure you could sub nutmeg (a few generous gratings) for mace. Regarding the coconut, I do have an intolerance to coconut milk (is that why you were surprised?) but I'm absolutely fine with grated coconut flesh.

If I could get away with it I'd probably eat curries 7 days a week too - but I can't afford the cals. In fact this is quite a low calorie curry because it uses no oil and chicken breasts are low cals.
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Ok (mace -> nutmeg; mace is the dried membrane covering the nutmeg aka seed: different texture and a slightly different taste). I'm sure the mace and seed act differently during preparation as well. Dried mace probably benefits more from light toasting. The hard seed is stark to start with.

Yes, I was surprised about the coconut. Desiccated coconut is practically the same stuff - flesh - as coconut milk. Coconut milk and coconut cream (-> rises to the top when making coconut milk) are man-made products made of grated coconut flesh soaked in water. Coconut milk (~50% water) can be prepared from desiccated coconut e.g. in a blender. It forms quite on its own if ground or desiccated coconut flesh is blended with hot liquid: therefore I find it a bit surprising that you don't have an intolerance to grated, soaked coconut. Coconut water (on its part) is the translucent natural juice found in the center/centre of young, immature coconuts. It nourishes the fruit, contains 94% water and fades to almost nil during maturation.

The good thing in curries is that an identifiable curry taste can be produced with a few key spices and curries can be made in many styles and forms and with a large variety of ingredients - even quite without fat like this lovely traditional korma.
 
Hemulen said:
Desiccated coconut is practically the same stuff - flesh - as coconut milk. Coconut milk and coconut cream (-> rises to the top when making coconut milk) are man-made products made of grated coconut flesh soaked in water. Coconut milk (~50% water) can be prepared from desiccated coconut e.g. in a blender. It forms quite on its own if ground or desiccated coconut flesh is blended with hot liquid: therefore I find it a bit surprising that you don't have an intolerance to grated, soaked coconut.
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I don't understand it either. Its the coconut milk that comes in tins that I have intolerance issues with. Could be the high fat content. I'm also not keen on the taste. I do like the taste of toasted coconut though. Maybe I'd be OK with home-made coconut milk from desiccated coconut.
 
garlichead said:
I can be bribed with a few onion bhaji though. :dance:
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There you go..Just had the Korma with these....
 
Morning Glory said:
I don't understand it either. Its the coconut milk that comes in tins that I have intolerance issues with. Could be the high fat content. I'm also not keen on the taste. I do like the taste of toasted coconut though. Maybe I'd be OK with home-made coconut milk from desiccated coconut.
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It might be one or more of the additives, thickeners or emulsifiers (in addition to fat content and sensory issues), like carboxymethyl cellulose or polysorbate 60, that make you intolerant to tinned coconut milk. It's common to have intolerance issues with certain fresh fruit or berries but to tolerate the same fruit or berries when frozen, cooked or preserved. Why couldn't it go the other way around, too? Who knows what minor chemical transition happens when coconut flesh is tinned.

Back to the Buttermilk chicken korma: yellow mustard seeds are a tasty addition to the spice mix - and they give a pleasant colo(u)r. I noticed you left out quite typical curry/korma/garam masala spices like cardamom, aniseed, cloves and fenugreek. You didn't add almonds or nuts (cashews or peanuts), either, although they're often present in korma dishes - especially in the UK (says Wikipedia). Curries and kormas come in millions of variants and it's always a joy to see a novel recipe. There's a wide array of lovely ingredients and spices in this dish. I'll give it a try next week. Yum.
 
Hemulen said:
I noticed you left out quite typical curry/korma/garam masala spices like cardamom, aniseed, cloves and fenugreek. You didn't add almonds or nuts (cashews or peanuts), either,
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I think the toasted coconut is enough - that, together with spices seems to give it a nutty flavour. Not sure why I left out the spices you mention. I was winging it but I didn't want to overload the spices. As you say, there are so many ways to vary curry dishes... that is part of their joy.
 
I made this today (double batch). The only alterations were brown mustard seeds instead of yellow ones, nutmeg instead of mace and a tiny pinch of sugar to balance the abundant ginger. Very tasty. Thanks for the recipe, Morning Glory.
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Morning Glory said:
Buttermilk gives a lovely light tang to this mild aromatic curry. If you want to make a spicier dish simply add some hot chilli powder, to taste. I used Kashmiri chilli powder which is very mild. The toasted spice mix makes twice as much as is required but will keep well in a screw top jar for another time.

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Ingredients
340g boneless skinless chicken chopped into large chunks
200ml buttermilk
1 tbsp of grated fresh turmeric root (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
1 tsp each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and yellow mustard seeds
A few shards of cinnamon
A blade of mace
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 medium sized mild green chilli, deseeded and sliced (set some aside to scatter over the finished dish)

Method
  1. Place 100ml of the buttermilk in a bowl. Add the turmeric and ginger and mix well.
  2. Add the chicken pieces and turn them to coat thoroughly. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for several hours or overnight.
  3. Place the coconut in a dry frying pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally until the coconut becomes golden in colour. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
  4. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and yellow mustard seeds, cinnamon and mace to the frying pan and heat until a nutty aroma is released (be careful not to burn).
  5. Place the toasted coconut and toasted spices in a spice grinder and pulse until you have a fine powder. You should have approx. 4 tbsp of spice mix.
  6. Place the chicken with its marinade into a pan. Add the remaining 100ml of buttermilk, 2 tbsp of the spice mix, the Kashmiri chilli and tomato puree. Stir to combine.
  7. Cook uncovered on a gentle heat for 20 minutes then add the green chilli. Cook for a further 10 minutes by which time the sauce should have reduced and thickened. Add salt to taste.
  8. Serve with rice or flatbreads. Scatter the remaining green chilli over the top. If you like you can also sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves
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I'll put this on the list for my second Indian cooking adventure.
 
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