Bangladeshi Style Creamy Chicken Korma with Crispy Shallots, Almonds, and Raisins
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno
(about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units).It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews.Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Ingredients:
1 whole skinless chicken (about 2 lb), cut into about 10 pieces
Slivered or sliced almonds
5 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
3 Tbsp clarified butter (ghee) or regular butter
2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt, or plain yogurt beaten well
2 large cinnamon sticks
4-6 cardamon pods, smashed with mortar and pestle till seeds are visible
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt or to taste
1 Tbsp sugar or to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Boiling hot water
4 small whole green chiles (i.e., Thai bird or serrano)
2 Tbsp ground almonds
2 Tbsp golden raisins
Optional garnishes
A few drops of Kewra essence water
Crispy fried sliced onions or shallots
Instructions:
METHOD:
Trim and wash chicken pieces well and drain thoroughly. Add yogurt, garlic, ginger, and mix thoroughly. Marinate for an hour up to one day.
Saute onion on medium heat in oil and ghee/butter until golden brown. Add cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaf, stirring until fragrant.
Add marinated chicken and salt, raising the temperature to medium high. Stir frequently until water and juices separate from the chicken creating a gravy. Consistently monitor that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan or gets brown, about 10 minutes. Once the liquid has reduced, add a few tablespoons of hot water slowly (maintaining the bubbling of gravy) until chicken is partially submerged. The amount of water will vary because some chickens naturally give off more liquid than others. Bring to a boil and then lower to medium heat so that the gravy is at a heavy simmer but not boiling.
Cover and stir occasionally. Once oil droplets start to rise to the surface (about 20-30 minutes) and the gravy is reducing, add lemon juice, ground almonds, sugar, raisins and green chiles. Check to see if sugar has balanced out the tartness of the yogurt. Cover and cook another 5 minutes on medium-low and remove from the heat.
Optional: Sprinkle with kewra water. Garnish with almonds, more raisins and fried, sliced onion.
Serve with plain pulao, biriyani or steamed basmati or jasmine rice. Serves 4-6
Note: More butter can be used and less oil if one needs the dish to be even more rich and buttery. If so, omit the green chile to preserve the buttery aroma.
From onetribegourmet.com.