Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => Korma => Topic started by: George on May 30, 2005, 03:49 PM
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After around 20 years of trying (about 10 times over that period) I have finally succeeded in producing a chicken korma which is as identical as I can tell, to many chicken kormas I have had in BIRs. I owe great thanks to at least three people: (a) Jedi Spice Man and anyone else behind setting up this brilliant forum. Without it, I would probably never have heard from (b) Ghanna who provided an invaluable input of key ingredients such as evaporated milk, and (c) MarkJ who obtained the first class recipe I used for my base sauce. The recipes from Ghanna and MarkJ are already documented here. All I did was bring them together.
The successful attempt followed Ghanna's tip of not adding any spices, apart from those already in the base sauce. I may try adding some spices later, like some restaurants almost certainly do. After all, not all their chicken kormas are indentical, from place to place. But they all have a familiar taste, which is already present in my first attempt.
Regards
George
And here is the recipe (added by CA on behalf of George):
Here's a reprint of a recent post of mine on another korma thread:
This is a quick paste of Ghanna's recipe (which had no specific quantities or base sauce type) together with the quantities which I used, very successfully:
"It is one of the quickest curries to make in the restaurant kitchen" said Ghanna....
Ingredients :
Curry gravy ? 0.5 pints of MarkJ base sauce
Evaporated milk ? 85g, yes by weight
Creamed coconut ? 50g, again by weight
Any kind of nuts ( some use cashwnut ,some use Almonds, Some use a kind of nut similar to hazelnut ) ? use 0.5 oz almonds plus 0.5 oz raw cashew nuts (both unsalted). Grind to a powder.
Pre-cooked chicken, meat, prawns, or defrosted vegetables.
Method :
Heat some oil from the top of the curry gravy. Leave the heat on high all the time
Add the curry gravy
Add creamed coconut
Add nuts
Add evaporated milk
Add pre-cooked ingredients
Boil until oil rises to the top
Sprinkle some coriander
Serve
Some add fenugreek leaves ,some don't.
Enjoy
Thanks
ghanna
(with quantities and some other suggestions, like the great MarkJ base sauce, added by George)
Further comments by George:
- Ghanna reckoned evaporated milk tasted much more like a good BIR than cream. I agree.
- if you use any other base sauce, you're on your own! The reason I say this is that the MarkJ base tastes almost like korma on its own. It's a great foundation for korma, and much more besides
- no spices are added. Yes, no spices. My attempts at adding spices have not yet led to any great improvement.
- I do however add salt and SUGAR to taste
- I'm not convinced that high heat is necessary or even desirable for this dish. I use a low-medium flame
This remains my favourite recipe for chicken korma.
Incidentally, is condensed milk = evaporated milk + sugar ?
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George, It would be iinteresting to see if you could make a non-milk version to see how close that comes out (eg Bhunna, madras etc)
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George, It would be interesting to see if you could make a non-milk version to see how close that comes out (eg Bhunna, madras etc)
In terms of further assessing the MarkJ base sauce, I may not be the best person, since I seldom eat Bhunna, Madras, etc and am, therefore, not familiar with the BIR taste of those dishes. The only 'non-milk' dishes I could consider would be the vegetable curry side dish which normally comes with a chicken biriani, or chicken dansak. I think the vegetable curry is my best bet and I can't wait to try.
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I bought yet another BIR chicken korma last night and made a key observation, thanks to the open plan kitchen. The dish was very 'representative' of a typical BIR korma.
The quantity of cream added was huge, so it was not like any recipe which uses just a few tbls of cream. Here we are talking about 0.25 pint absolute minimum and probably more like 0.5 pint - a significant proportion of the total liquid element of the sauce.
Early on in preparing the dish, the chef also added a significant quantity of condensed or evaporated milk out of a tin. I'm not sure which, or the quantity, but "quite a lot" was poured into the frying pan. Later on he added a significant quantity of UHT single cream out of a cardboard carton, like you can buy anywhere. Then, after the korma had been put into the foil carton, the chef's assistant added even more UHT single cream, possibly to make up the volume to the required level.
Regards
George
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I've made a korma based on the recipes here for the last 2 weekends and I'm extremely satisfied with the results.
1 TBLS veg oil
1 ladle (soup!) of a curry gravy (mildish one)
1/2 a 410g can of evaporated milk
small chunk of creamed cocounut
2-3 heaped desertspoons of ground almonds
1+ TBLS caster sugar
pinch (1/4 - 1/2) tsp of Kriss Dillons Garam masalla.
Basically it's about 50/50 base sauce and evaporated milk - I've been using about 1 ladle of gravy and about 1/2 can of evaporated milk.
It should do 2 chicken breasts (like a take-away lots of sauce-little meat) or use 3 if you like a higher meat-sauce ratio.
Taste the final mix after 1 tablespoon of sugar and add more until it's *your* perfect flavour, some take-away kormas I find too sickly but the great thing about cooking it at home is you get it exactly the way you like it!
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If you use condensed milk, you won't need to add any sugar. Condensed milk is the sweetest thing on the planet imo. ;0)
Antony :0)
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I bought yet another BIR chicken korma last night and made a key observation, thanks to the open plan kitchen. The dish was very 'representative' of a typical BIR korma.
And I bought yet another one, from a different place, this weekend! My observations are only partial. The proprietor kept me busy talking, but every little observation helps, I hope.
First, the chef added a lump of solid yellow-ish fat to the pan. I guess this was butter ghee, veg ghee or, less likely, butter or margarine. I'd estimate about 2 ozs. As always, the flame was on full blast the whole time.
Then he added 'quite a bit' of a white liquid. I would hazard a guess that this was a pre-mix of evaporated milk, coconut powder, sugar and any other ingredients, like in Terry's korma masala mix.
There followed a ladle of base sauce. All the above elements were added in fairly quick succession. Once that lot had heated through, he knelt down to get some ingredients from low down on a storage rack, so I couldn't see properly. But it included pieces of pre-cooked chicken, which looked quite yellow and perhaps some additional yellow colouring, too. He could have added extra spices at this point. I don't know.
Then he poured in 'quite a bit' of UHT single cream, straight from a carton, so there was no mistake what that was. I'd say somewhere between 65 and 130 ml. At the end of the day I ended up with a large take away carton full of korma, so the sauce volume has to come from somewhere. I never saw him add more than the initial ladle of base sauce.
Finally, he added 'a bit' of coconut milk from exactly the same type of tin you'd get from any supermarket. I'd estimate 45ml (three tbls) of coconut milk. So, if there was coconut powder in the pre-mix, that's a double dose of coconut.
This was heated/boiled for about 2 or 3 minutes longer and the korma was complete.
Again, it was typical of a BIR korma.
I hope this helps.
Regards
George
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Hi all. I have been reading this site for a little while and thought Id give something a try I have just tried a slight change to this recipe and it was better than my local BIR alot better! The recipe goes like this (for 5 people). loads of oil, 1 tspn of garamasala, 1 tspn of turmeric, 1 tspn of ginger paste, 3 bags of Darthphalls base sauce (2 scoops in a bag) 4 tspn of creamed coconut one tin of evapourated milk and sugar to taste (about 4 teaspoons) add precooked chicken. Done 5 minutes!! the best korma I have ever had quite like a hydrabadi if you have ever tried!!! I think you dont have to use as much evapourated milk in the recipe. I have tried a few other recipes and thery were not like BIR dishes but this was. I will report back because I am planning on a rogan josh at the weekend. Also I am planning on asking for the recipes from my local BIR since I have been using them for over 10 years and have become very friendly with them.
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Yet another satisfied convert ! :D :D
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I have just tried a slight change to this recipe and it was better than my local BIR alot better!
If you say it's good, it must be worth a try!
Before I do, could you please clarify:
- the type of garam masala you used. Whenever I see 'garam masala' mentioned, it might as well say 'secret spice mix', since it can be any brand or mix, and most of them smell and taste quite different.
- how many ml. of Darth's base sauce did you use, please? I'm sorry but Darth's 'bag' measure is totally lost on me, as is the measure known as a 'scoop'.
Also, could you please indicate the method used to bring these ingredients together?
Regards
George
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DARTHPHALL'S bag is 500-600 ml. ;D
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Hmmm , 500 - 600 ml , a very serious bag condition , but fortunately not fatal if treated in time . You will require LIT ( leech intervention therapy ) immediately - here is the link - www.suckitup.org ;D ;D
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...I have finally succeeded in producing a chicken korma which is as identical as I can tell, to many chicken kormas I have had in BIRs.........the recipes from Ghanna and MarkJ are already documented here.....all I did was bring them together.
Hi George,
Please could you post the final recipe that you used.....for the benefit of others here (including me!)?
Many thanks! :)
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I have posted a measure ment guide on hints and tips. Maybe we could use this as a reference for the future? I know I forget sometimes when I refer to cups.
CP
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I prefer double D Cups ;D
LOL I'm no mug !!! ;D ;D
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I see your on form as usual DP! I am down in mine at the mo' cos I have just done two big batch runs of Punjabi Lamb and Beef Madras; so I must awah to the pub (next door) for a few bevvies. Have you tried the Sith Challenge? Do a search on the web.
Cheers
CP
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Please could you post the final recipe that you used.....for the benefit of others here (including me!)?
Here's a reprint of a recent post of mine on another korma thread:
This is a quick paste of Ghanna's recipe (which had no specific quantities or base sauce type) together with the quantities which I used, very successfully:
"It is one of the quickest curries to make in the restaurant kitchen" said Ghanna....
Ingredients :
Curry gravy ? 0.5 pints of MarkJ base sauce
Evaporated milk ? 85g, yes by weight
Creamed coconut ? 50g, again by weight
Any kind of nuts ( some use cashwnut ,some use Almonds, Some use a kind of nut similar to hazelnut ) ? use 0.5 oz almonds plus 0.5 oz raw cashew nuts (both unsalted). Grind to a powder.
Pre-cooked chicken, meat, prawns, or defrosted vegetables.
Method :
Heat some oil from the top of the curry gravy. Leave the heat on high all the time
Add the curry gravy
Add creamed coconut
Add nuts
Add evaporated milk
Add pre-cooked ingredients
Boil until oil rises to the top
Sprinkle some coriander
Serve
Some add fenugreek leaves ,some don't.
Enjoy
Thanks
ghanna
(with quantities and some other suggestions, like the great MarkJ base sauce, added by George)
Further comments by George:
- Ghanna reckoned evaporated milk tasted much more like a good BIR than cream. I agree.
- if you use any other base sauce, you're on your own! The reason I say this is that the MarkJ base tastes almost like korma on its own. It's a great foundation for korma, and much more besides
- no spices are added. Yes, no spices. My attempts at adding spices have not yet led to any great improvement.
- I do however add salt and SUGAR to taste
- I'm not convinced that high heat is necessary or even desirable for this dish. I use a low-medium flame
This remains my favourite recipe for chicken korma.
Incidentally, is condensed milk = evaporated milk + sugar ?
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Thanks for the heads up George ...always a good move to be reminded of an exemplary recipe !
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Thanks for re-posting the recipe George :)
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I think that perhaps we should have a thread for those tried and tested recipes on the site that have proved over time ( having been tested by the majority of the regular contributing group ) to be outstanding . Perhaps we could create the top ten of BIR recipes on this thread - what do you think ?
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I like the idea CC of a Premier League; it gives us something to aim for..Maybe we get a cup (sorry to mention that word ::)) at the end of the season for the one voted the best?
Darth I have just posted a reply on the Measurement thread before I got here. My apologies I hadn't seen your response above on your bag measurement.
Thanks for the recipe George, I will try it next week.
Happy Cooking
CP
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Np Matey, you got a new answer (is it serious, go read lol). :D
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Yep saw it and made a bolt Westward in my M/Falcon. That's a dark area I dont want to go to no more.
Ta
CP
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Perhaps we could create the top ten of BIR recipes on this thread - what do you think ?
cc
Many thanks for the implication that Ghanna's korma recipe with my quantities may qualify for such an accolade. But, unless I've missed any such posting, I've yet to hear any feedback on this recipe, aside from my own enthusiasm. If anyone has tried the recipe, please indicate here what you thought of it, and please also indicate any variations in base sauce type or any other changes you made.
I think of chicken korma under the following categories:
(1) a typical, good BIR korma - I feel Ghanna's recipe comes under this category
(2) an exceptionally good BIR korma, like from one of your very favorite curry houses - I'm searching for the correct spicing/flavouring to lift Ghanna's recipe up to this level or to level 3, which is:
(3) distinctive 'up-market' UK indian restaurant korma's even if given some fancy alternative name. My first visit to one of these places was to 'Last Days of the Raj' in Covent Garden, in the 1980s. The taste of the dish there seemed like worth the extra cost.
(4) a proper korma in India, which is divine, but nothing like the other three categories.
I should also mention that I tried Ghanna's own 'special' korma recipe which Ghanna thought is better than the above BIR version. I may have done something wrong, but I didn't like it as much, unfortunately.
Ghanna, where are you?
Regards
George
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Yes Ghanna is missed, but i dont think he/or She has been active for many months.
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I think that perhaps we should have a thread for those tried and tested recipes on the site that have proved over time ( having been tested by the majority of the regular contributing group ) to be outstanding . Perhaps we could create the top ten of BIR recipes on this thread - what do you think ?
Firstly, I am new to the forum so I would like to say 'hello!' to everyone.
I believe this to be a great idea. I can contribute to this as every weekend my GF and I try to make the ultimate chicken korma. We have not succeeded but look forward to trying George's synthesised recipe next week. Here is the recipe we have used from the curryfrenzy.com web site with slight modification.
The following recipe can de described as not a BIR korma. It leaves you with a sour taste which we tried to counteract by using ground almond powder and dessicated coconut. It did the job but did not provide us with a BIR korma.
Here is the recipe that we used:
2 Chicken Breasts Chopped into Bite Size Pieces
1 Tin Coconut milk
4oz Greek Style Thick Natural Yogurt
3 Egg Yolks
3 Tablespoons Mango chutney
Quarter of an onion finely chopped
2 Teaspoon Schwartz's Mild Curry Powder
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 inches Root Ginger grated
1 Tablespoon Butter Ghee
1 Teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Garam Massalla
2 drops Almond Extract (Not essence)
2 Tablespoon almond powder
1 Tablespoon dessicated coconut
Make a paste of the curry powder and Turmeric with a little water. Fry the onion until translucent in the ghee then add the garlic and ginger and stir fry on medium until it just starts to brown. Add the curry paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs. Add the chicken pieces and seal well on all sides. Mix the coconut milk, yogurt, mango chutney and egg yolks in a jug and pour over and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked, stirring regularly. If needed add a little water to prevent the curry becoming too thick or dry. Now stir in the garam massalla and almond extract and cook for a further minute. Serve with the almond powder and dessicated coconut.
This recipe should be in the relegation zone of the chicken korma league table!
Has anyone agreed on a definitive BIR korma recipe for me to try next weekend?
Cheers,
- James
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I've always wanted to make one of these but somehow developed a bad reaction to milk or cream in the last month. I'm gutted!
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I can contribute to this as every weekend my GF and I try to make the ultimate chicken korma....The following recipe can de described as not a BIR korma...It did the job but did not provide us with a BIR korma.
James
Thank you for your recipe but, unless you are being very modest, if it's nothing like a BIR korma, then it won't be on my short list of recipes to try any time soon. A BIR korma is quite distinctive, anywhere I've had one throughout the UK. Are you sure your recipe is nothing like that? I guess not, as it doesn't include base sauce.
If you try a different korma recipe or variation almost every week, how many recipes or variations have you tried so far?
Regards
George
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I can contribute to this as every weekend my GF and I try to make the ultimate chicken korma....The following recipe can de described as not a BIR korma...It did the job but did not provide us with a BIR korma.
James
Thank you for your recipe but, unless you are being very modest, if it's nothing like a BIR korma, then it won't be on my short list of recipes to try any time soon. A BIR korma is quite distinctive, anywhere I've had one throughout the UK. Are you sure your recipe is nothing like that? I guess not, as it doesn't include base sauce.
If you try a different korma recipe or variation almost every week, how many recipes or variations have you tried so far?
Regards
George
No, I am being honest. Its the first recipe we have played with. I posted a question on Yahoo! Anwers asking how to make a genuine BIR korma and got an answer saying I can find the recipes at this site. After looking on this site, I realised I needed to change my recipe completley.
Well, I am going to try your recommended recipe but we're going to do it every month or so becuase we will get fat otherwise!
I also have doubts about the Mark J' base. There seems to be an excessive quantity of ingrediants in it. Can this be cut down for 1 to 2 people?
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I also have doubts about the Mark J' base. There seems to be an excessive quantity of ingrediants in it. Can this be cut down for 1 to 2 people?
I make the Mark J base with just 2 onions and it tastes delicious. I think there's 10 and 30 onion versions on this site. Simply pro-rata each and every ingredient down to 2 onions.
Good luck
Regards
George
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Hi George,
I hope you don't mind, but I copied the recipe to the first post of this thread assuming that it will make it easier for people to find 8)
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Hi all,
This recipe is the first thing I've made from this site (well, the second thing I suppose as I made up the 10 onion version of Mark J's base first) and I tried it out on myself, partner and step daughter tonight. They said it's the best curry I've ever made and just like a BIR Korma and I have to agree with them .
So thanks to George, Channa, Mark J and everyone else who's had a hand in this recipe :-*
And with a whacking great batch of base left, I guess I'll be trying out a few more recipes from here soon :)
Cheers,
Simon
p.s. I had two small variances from the recipe as shown here. (1) I used condensed milk for sweetner rather than sugar (someone suggested this early in the thread) and (2) the nuts I used were smoked almonds from Tescos. They only have a slightly smoky taste so not sure they made much of a change from the 'standard' recipe.
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I had two small variances from the recipe as shown here. (1) I used condensed milk for sweetner rather than sugar (someone suggested this early in the thread) and (2) the nuts I used were smoked almonds from Tescos. They only have a slightly smoky taste so not sure they made much of a change from the 'standard' recipe.
I'm pleased you had some success with this recipe. I'm left as the sort of stand-in promoter since we haven't heard from the real originator, Ghanna, for ages, unfortuntately.
Although I often despair at the variances tried by some people when FIRST trying a recipe, I can see that both your changes could actually be well worthwhile - I tried toasting some almonds, and I might try the Tesco smoked almonds too.
Regards
George
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Is there a version of MarkJ's base with accurate ingredient quantities?
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Is there a version of MarkJ's base with accurate ingredient quantities?
Yes! Please see replies 11 (full version) and 37 (10 onion version) at:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=279.10
I take it down to just 2 onions pro-rata and it works fine. I've never started with more than 2 onions.
Regards
George
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Thanks George I'm going to do a smaller version as you suggest.
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Underwurlde - you said said on another thread:
Anyway, the GOOD news is that using the same base & precook chicken, I went on to create a Chicken Korma for the wife. It is the most accurate Korma I have ever cooked and my wife was well pleased with the result: "Just like from the Restaurant" she said, "That's the general idea!" says I.
I think you were referring to Darth's base sauce, and I'm pleased to hear you made a korma which went down well. Which recipe did you use to turn the base sauce into a korma, please?
Regards
George
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Hello George...
This is how I created a Korma.... Pretty bloody simple really!
Korma (For 2 persons)
Garlic Paste, Creamed Coconut (1? length cut from the block), Ground Almonds ? 1 tbsp, Flaked Almonds, Sunflower oil ? 3 tbsp, Lemon Juice ? 1 tsp, Double cream ? 2 tbsp. Water.
Black Pepper ? 1/4 tsp, Garam Masala? 1 tsp, Ginger ? 1 tsp, Coriander ? 1 tsp.
Base made from this thread:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=674.0
Pre-cooked chicken
Oil ? 4 tbsp, 1? depth of boiled water.
cinnamon stick ? 1?, Cloves ? 6, Crushed Green Cardamom pods ? 3, Bay leaves - 2, Turmeric ? 1 tsp, Curry Powder ? 1tsp Lemon Juice ? 1 tsp, Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp, Yoghurt ? 2 tbsp.
Gently fry spices for about 1 min and then simply bung everything in a saucepan, bring to the boil & add Chickem (up to 1Kg), cooked covered for 20mins.
Method:
Gently fry garlic for about 1 min, add spices and some water cook for another min & then everything else, stir until creamed coconut melts then finally stir in the base & pre-cooked chicken.
Notes
I did not use condensed milk. I have no comment on this as I have never tried it. You may want to add Methi Leaves to cut down on the next day's wind... (ahem). :-X
I also see that MarkJ's curry base on the whole differs from the one I used for my Korma i.e Darth's BIR recipe in so much as MarkJ's uses a full tin of chopped tomatoes and Darths does not: I personally would not have said that a Korma would have had any tomatoes in it (be it in the base or otherwise). Hell, I could be wrong as I have not actually tried MarkJ's base to make a Korma, I am just speaking from general (pre cr0) experiences.
I would of course say that MarkJ's base is definately suited for a Tomato Khorma dish.
I eagerly await educating! ;D
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I also see that MarkJ's curry base on the whole differs from the one I used for my Korma i.e Darth's BIR recipe in so much as MarkJ's uses a full tin of chopped tomatoes and Darths does not: I personally would not have said that a Korma would have had any tomatoes in it (be it in the base or otherwise). Hell, I could be wrong as I have not actually tried MarkJ's base to make a Korma, I am just speaking from general (pre cr0) experiences.
UW
Many thanks for writing out your successful approach to a korma. I agree with you that it's unlikely that BIR kormas contain much, if any, tomato. Perhaps I used a different MarkJ base and/or I may have reduced the amount of tomato, knowing the base was going to be used for a korma. Your korma uses a lot more lemon juice than I've ever added so, if you say it was good, I look foward to trying it.
Regards
George
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Sorry George, I am new to this forum & still finding my way around.... I have only seen one MarkJ base and assumed you used that one!
My bad (as the yanks would say) ::)
I ordered "the" book the other day: "The Curry Secret" by Kris Dhillon & I see her curry sauce uses.... 1 tin of Tomatoes... Her base is the only one detailed in her book and is used throughout for all recipes that call for a curry sauce (base).
To me, a tin of Toms in a base does provide quite a dominant flavour and for that reason alone I was thinking that a base that called for the use of this much toms would therefore not be used for Korma.
However, what is a "Korma": Slowly braised dishes often featuring yoghurt.
No mention therefore of any Tomatoness or indeed heat! In otherwords, my aversion to use tomatoes is just a matter of my personal taste....
If you think that is a lot of lemon juice then perhaps it may be so... experiment then if I were you perhaps and don't just bung the whole lot in?
Andy
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I have cooked several Korma's now using the recipe from this thread but using the KD base instead and have found it to be spot on, I don't think that the tomato in the base affects it at all, I did however add a little more coconut about 75grms and a little extra sugar.
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This is superb. i give this 9 out of 10. sweet mild and not at all like tradit indian cookery.
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Bang on George. That's 100 percent quality BIR Korma. I was very surprised indeed. The colour, flavour and texture were all spot on! Here it is.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/gallery/3840_13_07_08_1_01_53.JPG)
Oh, I omitted the Coriander as I didn't really think it would go and when I've seen / tasted BIR Korma, it hasn't had Coriander in it. Also, It says add sugar to taste - well I used 1 tbsp and that was perfect for my GF. I put the sugar in th mortar with the whole almonds and found it helped grind things up nicely.
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Holy c**p Bobby. That's the best Korma I've seen in a long time.
Which recipe did you use? There's a few mentioned in this thread so I wanted to be sure.
Any mods other than no coriander to finish (which I agree with in Korma)?
Did you use a standard base (which?), or did you use a "Korma Masala" of some sort?
Thanks! Will be trying this.
-- Josh
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Holy c**p Bobby. That's the best Korma I've seen in a long time.
Which recipe did you use? There's a few mentioned in this thread so I wanted to be sure.
Thanks very much Josh, it's very kind of you to say so :D I just used the one at the top of the first page. I used my own base, called Bobby Bhunas Base Sauce July 2008 but it's very standard and I'm sure any will do. I made no other mods apart from those mentioned.
Hang on, actually the recipe specifies spiced oil, but I didn't have any. I can't say that I missed it though.
Cheers, BB.
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That's got to be the best looking home made Korma sauce I've seen Bobby!
Looks brilliant! 8)
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That's got to be the best looking home made Korma sauce I've seen Bobby!
Looks brilliant! 8)
Thanks very much - that means a lot coming from an old pro like yourself!
Good to see you back :)
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Im seriously considering trying to make a Korma out of the recipes i read on this thread, but i just need some things clearing up by all you pro's!!
Right, so to start i have to make the Mark J base up, which i think is quite strange that it contains a whole tin of Tomatoes and 2 sticks of Celery? Does this affect the taste of the korma?!
Then i have to add the ingredients from Georges piece to the Mark J curry base?
I tried to make a Korma before, and i wasnt really keen on the taste. Infact it was fowl. I think i put normal sugar in, which is also stated as a sweetner in Georges recipe.
Is there a better alternative to Sugar? If so, then how much of the alternative do i add?
If i do go through with it, i will add some photo's!
Thanks for the help!
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Hi mattjwood,
Right, so to start i have to make the Mark J base up, which i think is quite strange that it contains a whole tin of Tomatoes and 2 sticks of Celery? Does this affect the taste of the korma?!
BIRs use a base gravy which serves as a common sauce foundation for almost all curries. So the base (Markj's or otherwise) usually makes a large amount which can be refrigerated or frozen and used for multiple curries. The base doesn't have to be Markj's (there are plenty of great ones on the site) although some tend to be better suited for some curries than others.
Then i have to add the ingredients from Georges piece to the Mark J curry base?
No. The base is a recipe in and of itself. Make it and set aside. George's recipe calls for 0.5 pints of base gravy. So add only this much of the base when the recipe calls for it. Markj's recipe probably makes a few liters or so. Which means you will have plenty of base left over to try other curries.
I tried to make a Korma before, and i wasnt really keen on the taste. Infact it was fowl. I think i put normal sugar in, which is also stated as a sweetner in Georges recipe.
Is there a better alternative to Sugar? If so, then how much of the alternative do i add?
Sugar is the usual sweetener, though I've seen the use of brown sugar, mango chutney, jaggery, and others used. Sometimes I've seen caster sugar specified, which is a finer granulation of sugar. You should be OK with white sugar, 1 or 2 tablespoons is usually enough to sweeten up a korma.
Good luck with it and post some photos!
-- Josh
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How many does this Korma make. 0.5 Pints of curry gravy is surely for one person right?
Also, i dont have much oil on the top of my base sauce, so do i just use normal oil? Or do i have to fry a little spice in the fresh oil?
Im doing it tonight!
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How many does this Korma make. 0.5 Pints of curry gravy is surely for one person right?
Also, i dont have much oil on the top of my base sauce, so do i just use normal oil? Or do i have to fry a little spice in the fresh oil?
Im doing it tonight!
Hi Matt,
I would work on about 250ml curry base per person. Therefore 0.5 pints (285ml) of curry base should serve 1 to 2 people (especially taking into account adding the evap).
I would work on about 250g of chicken (or other meat) per person too.
Don't worry about not having oil on top of your base, it will come out in the final dish (assuming its in the base in the first place!). So just use normal vegetable oil when cooking the curry. Id suggest about 4 tablespoons or so.
Hope this helps :)
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Yeh i used a lot of oil in my base. Infact, you can see the piccies of what i did on friday night when making the base in the same thread as this. Its called " My chicken Korma & Pilau Rice " first attempt!
Thanks for that!
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I use 250ml base for a curry.
If you are using korma I would maybe make that 200ml to allow maybe 50ml of cream personally.
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50ml of cream
You want to use evaporated milk as this recipe specifies.
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way too much sugar in it. I will just use cream thanks ;)
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way too much sugar in it. I will just use cream thanks ;)
What, in evaporated milk? I think not!
It's all subjective taste and down to personal taste I know. Use what you like! Perhaps we should award medals to anyone proven to follow a recipe without dramatically altering it and therefore, in my view, invalidating it in many cases.
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What, in evaporated milk? I think not!
Maybe he means condensed milk :-\
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Made this tonight - best korma family have ever had see post on BE's base.
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Made this tonight - best korma family have ever had see post on BE's base.
So that sounds like another good combination to try. I hope you don't mind but here's your input on the korma, so it's not missed by anyone checking this thread:
Well well well, Having read most of the posts and having finally devoured the last of the various renditions of my own base, I decided to give this *(the 2008 Bruce Edwards base) a go.....I know....I'll try it on the curry I hate the most - THE KORMA
Quickly I boned out a chicken and diced the breast and threw it into a pan of boiling water - added oil to the wok then some base sauce 120 ml EVAPORATED milk 150gm of creamed coconut 100gm of smashed down roasted salted cashews - brought to the boil added a good pinch of salt 3 tablespoons sugar and the cooked chicken breasts stirred in some chopped coriander and a small pinch of methi. Hey presto curry for 5 - The comments were - you could bottle it and sell it, Its better than any korma I have had before, can i have the recipe, thats the best curry you ever cooked etc
Can recommend this base with Korma recipe
Now for my tea ............ Chicken Patia perhaps?
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Well since making this the first time I am on my third offering this week by popular request.
This time the only nuts I had left was walnuts - popped up to Tesco Xtra and guess what they only had Dry Roasted nuts - sod it I'll give them a go.
Made the normal Korma recipe for two about 100ml evap, 75gm Dry roasted nuts ground to a powder, some base sauce and oil and 3 dessert spoons sugar and tasted it. Bloody hell I've created the perfect SATAY SAUCE. So as we all love Satay chicken we ate that instead of Korma.
Theres one to add to the recipe list.
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Can anyone tell me where I can find MarkJ's base curry sauce recipe please? I've looked in the section for base sauces but cannot find it.
Many thanks
Regards
Bob
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Can anyone tell me where I can find MarkJ's base curry sauce recipe please? I've looked in the section for base sauces but cannot find it.
Here it is, as correctlty listed under the index of base sauce recipes:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,279.0.html
I make the Mark J base with just 2 onions and it tastes delicious. I think there's 10 and 30 onion versions on this site. Simply pro-rata each and every ingredient down to 2 onions.
NEVER EVER listen to suggestions that you should leave some ingredients at the same weight, e.g. whether you use 2 or 30 onions. You know it simply can't make sense.
Good luck
Regards
George
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I tried this Chicken Korma last night and it was superb. The only mistake I made was to add too many nuts, 40g of both almonds and cahsews so it turned out a bit too thick, but after having added some milk to thin it out a bit it turned out really well.
Oh, by the way 85g (weight) of evavporated milk actually also turns out as 85ml I measured it yesterday. :)
Personal Message (Offline)
Chicken korma
? on: May 30, 2005, 02:49:29 PM ?
Reply with quote
After around 20 years of trying (about 10 times over that period) I have finally succeeded in producing a chicken korma which is as identical as I can tell, to many chicken kormas I have had in BIRs. I owe great thanks to at least three people: (a) Jedi Spice Man and anyone else behind setting up this brilliant forum. Without it, I would probably never have heard from (b) Ghanna who provided an invaluable input of key ingredients such as evaporated milk, and (c) MarkJ who obtained the first class recipe I used for my base sauce. The recipes from Ghanna and MarkJ are already documented here. All I did was bring them together.
The successful attempt followed Ghanna's tip of not adding any spices, apart from those already in the base sauce. I may try adding some spices later, like some restaurants almost certainly do. After all, not all their chicken kormas are indentical, from place to place. But they all have a familiar taste, which is already present in my first attempt.
Regards
George
And here is the recipe (added by CA on behalf of George):
Here's a reprint of a recent post of mine on another korma thread:
This is a quick paste of Ghanna's recipe (which had no specific quantities or base sauce type) together with the quantities which I used, very successfully:
"It is one of the quickest curries to make in the restaurant kitchen" said Ghanna....
Ingredients :
Curry gravy ? 0.5 pints of MarkJ base sauce
Evaporated milk ? 85g, yes by weight
Creamed coconut ? 50g, again by weight
Any kind of nuts ( some use cashwnut ,some use Almonds, Some use a kind of nut similar to hazelnut ) ? use 0.5 oz almonds plus 0.5 oz raw cashew nuts (both unsalted). Grind to a powder.
Pre-cooked chicken, meat, prawns, or defrosted vegetables.
Method :
Heat some oil from the top of the curry gravy. Leave the heat on high all the time
Add the curry gravy
Add creamed coconut
Add nuts
Add evaporated milk
Add pre-cooked ingredients
Boil until oil rises to the top
Sprinkle some coriander
Serve
Some add fenugreek leaves ,some don't.
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Hi,
I just tried this yesterday with startlingly successful results! I'm in America and couldn't find creamed coconut, but used powdered coconut milk which did fine. It thickened up a lot, so I thinned it with almond milk, which stopped it curdling on a reheat.
Thank you all so much
S.
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I'm in America and couldn't find creamed coconut, but used powdered coconut milk which did fine.
You did exactly right Steve, the restaurants DO NOT use creamed coconut block in the main curries, buit they do use what you used, so well done!
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I'm knocking this up tonight using Sns's curry sauce, George.
Many thanks
Mick (A newbie today)
;)
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I'm not a great fan of Korma's, to mild for me. I have four portions of SnS's base left and was thinking of giving a Korma a go, as my parents are visiting me early June and I know they will enjoy this. I will be interested in your results using SnS's base. I have to say that i've made Bhuna's, Jalfrezi's and Madras's using SnS's base and they are very good indeed.
I will also try the version at the start of this thread and post results when they have been tried and tested.
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qprbob,
ronnoc's korma might be of background interest. i am sure George's is the one to go for. i've made the ronnoc's version (only korma i've made) and it did taste good.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2332.msg20726#msg20726 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2332.msg20726#msg20726)
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Hello,
I know that this is an old thread but I'm making this specific recipe tonight so I thought I ought to keep it in here.
I wondered a couple of things.
Firstly, how do people recommmend to pre cook the chicken to make it the best and most authentic kind? Also, you all say about 250ml of base per person? That is without anything else added is this right?
Thank you in advance!
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Welcome to cr0 Bubble Wrap,
No worries about resurrecting an old thread, it's possibly the best korma recipe/thread going, so far.....
Personally, I don't bother precooking chicken (it can become too dry), just fry at the start. If you do want to precook it (as BIRs do) you will find some methods if you do a search.
And, yes, about 250ml of curry base per person, without anything else added. For a korma (where other liquids are added) you could probably get away with less (say 200ml per person) though.
Hope this helps 8)
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That does help, thank you! I've seen a lot of people here seem to boil the chicken, which I've not tried before so may well do.
Very much looking forward to my first home done korma tonight! The base sauce smells good enough to just eat on its own!
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For precooked chicken, try these threads:
- http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=158.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=158.0)
- http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3215.msg28779#msg28779 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3215.msg28779#msg28779)
- http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=64.msg136#msg136 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=64.msg136#msg136)
- http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2525.msg22132#msg22132 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2525.msg22132#msg22132)
- http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=80.msg213#msg213 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=80.msg213#msg213)
- http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1232.msg10656#msg10656 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1232.msg10656#msg10656)
And do a search on "precooked chicken" perhaps?
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Bubble Wrap,
i use the ashoka (the 3215 link in CA's list). the 64 link is good on the cooking front. i'll update the post on my current method.
as CA says there is much personal preference.
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Thanks for all the hints and tips guys. I'm pleased to say that the korma came out really well, and I now have a freezer drawer full of base sauce ready to go whenever I want!!!
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George , made your recipe Korma on Saturday for my Daughter and she loved it ;)
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Firstly, how do people recommmend to pre cook the chicken to make it the best and most authentic kind?
I think there's texture and flavour to consider. I've used succulent pieces of traditional roast chicken before, with not a spice in sight beyond salt and pepper. The korma sauce is the main thing for me, so chicken like that is more than adequate. You can also cook a chicken breast in the oven in just 6 minutes, so that would be my preferred approach for uncooked chicken, and I wouldn't bother adding spices, either, but you could. I see boiling as too likely to remove some of the natural chicken flavour. "Authentic BIR" might be to do just that, though, in a sort of dumbing-down exercise to try and match the poor quality of average BIR chicken chunks.
I'm very pleased this thread is still attracting interest and positive feedback.
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George,
I'm new here (as of today), and found this wonderful website because I have tried for many years to duplicate a korma recipe. We actually prefer lamb korma, but figure we can use any meat in place of the chicken.
Anyway, you have mentioned several times that you have reduced MarkJ's base recipe down to 2 onions by dividing by 4. Is there any way you would be willing to share EXACTLY the recipe that you use?
I would really appreciate it. I'm in the US, and am already spending lots of time converting grams and ml's to American measures.
Thank you!
Vickie
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I'm in the US, and am already spending lots of time converting grams and ml's to American measures.
"Space Shuttle One, this is NASA Control, do you read ?". "Read you loud and clear, NASA Control". "Shuttle One, you seem to be having great difficulty escaping the earth's gravitational field; you don't have a stow-away in the cockpit, by any chance ?". "Negative, NASA Control". "In that case, can you just confirm the weight of yourself and your co-pilot ?". "Sure : I'm 180 pounds, and my co-pilot says he's 78kg (he's English : they use crazy measures over there)". "Shuttle One, did you say '78kg' ?". "Affirmative, control". "Just hang in there, Shuttle One : we're running that figure through NASA's biggest number cruncher right now, because we have the fuel burn rate set at three big measuring cups per microsecond at the moment, and we may need to increase that by a ladleful or so ...".
** Phil.
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George,
Going to try the Korma out tomorrow night, will make to spec (just need to make the base as i dont have this one in the freezer) I think this is the only fair way of a assessing someones recipe and giving accurate feedback, tweak it next time i may do ;D
:) I will post my 100 narga base recipe soon, then any posts that say use any base will now read
"use any base except DL's 100 narga base as its too hot for this dish" ;D
Leon
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:) I will post my 100 narga base recipe soon, then any posts that say use any base will now read
"use any base except DL's 100 narga base as its too hot for this dish" ;D
Leon
Now this i am really looking forward to reading about. It may be just up my street ;D ;D ;D
Dave
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Made to spec (didn't garnish with coriander) and thoroughly expertly tested by my eldest (6) it was a huge success,
probably the best korma Ive made, didn't or wouldn't need to change a thing BUT... he asked to try some of my Jalfrezi, expecting cartoon ear steam :P I got the milk ready......Mmm that's nice dad.. Mmm its a bit hot but can I have one of those next time I think Ive gone off the creamy ones :D >:( :)
So it maybe the last Korma for a while :) until the little one gets a bit bigger ;)
Decidedly a keeper
Cheers
Leon
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Chicken korma ? used ? pre-cooked chicken from tesco (!), cut it up. Recipe was based on Georges recipe ( a variation on Ghannas recipe), bit I did add a teaspoon of spice mix to add a little more flavour. This tuned out fantastic! Could not of hoped for better. The daughter loves the local take away korma, and I have to admit, whenever I have tasted it, it really is excellent. Well, this recipe turned out just as good. I knew it was a hit as soon as the daughter took her first mouthful and started to smile. ?Is it as good as the take away one?? ?Yes? she ginned. A winner! I think what makes this dish, is the addition of evaporated milk ? it just adds the sweetness and taste of that take away meal.
All together with the korma -
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/10ff46b9295c2a891e1110bebbf69060.jpg)
Meggeth - I'm pleased to hear the recipe worked so well for you. I do hope that ghanna is somehow aware of how popular his/her korma approach has become (using the quantities put forward by me).
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I do hope that ghanna is somehow aware of how popular his/her korma approach has become (using the quantities put forward by me).
Strange isn't it George? Just as ghannas posts were starting to get interesting ...pooof!...he/she disappeared!
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Hey George! This really was fantastic! Daughter was so glad that she saved ?6 too!
So happy with what I am learning on this site. Thanks to all. :D