Topic: Qorma, korma, kurma; whats in a name

[Chilli Prawn]

Interesting subject this.  When trawling through the recipes I noticed some very authentic BIR 'Kormas'.  In my mainstream meat based 'Korma' I use my base, evaporated milk, dessicated coconut, and some tomato paste (and maybe some water).  Very simple and very quick.  So I will not bore you or clutter the boards with yet another version. 

However, as always, a bit of enlightenment.  Korma is an English word - a phonetic spelling.  This dish has an intense flavour but very little or no heat.  I believe, like CTM, it is a BIR invention.  It should be very pale with a nice aroma (Rose water - Rhu Kewra)  The Rhu Kewra is probably the only real link with the original dish.

The 'Korma' dish associated with the name bears no resemblance to the original Punjabi dish which is the Qorma (I have posted my version on the forum - Shahida's). These are dishes that use very few but quite intense spices rendered down in Yoghurt or cream or a mixture of both, until you have a dark brown sauce with meat.  The final finish is usually with Rhu Kewra.

Finally, Kurma.  Kurma is a totally different dish, usually a vegetable dish that is cooked in a very rick brown sauce made from roasted spices, the most common is Sabzi Kurma.  Sabzi means cooked vegetables.  I make this dish for my vegetarian clients using my Bargar onion base and roasted ground spices; but I guess that will not be classified as a BIR curry.

Happy Cooking
C P