Chicken Coconut Korma

Coconut Korma is a very mild curry. Even those who generally do not like coconut will enjoy this mildly spicy, flavorful curry dish. Serve with rice, vegetables, and naan for a complete meal. The dish is very easy to make, but it's not a quick, last-minute dinner.

Coconut Korma Curry

Marinade

4 chicken breasts, chopped

1 c. plain yogurt

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. cumin

Curry Sauce

2 Tb. ghee or butter
1 onion, finely diced
3 tsp minced garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (don't add cayenne for a milder curry. or add 1-2 tsp for hot)
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
4 Tb. heavy whipping cream
3/4 c. unsalted cashew nuts

Cut the chicken into 1″ pieces. Place in a ziploc bag with all the other marinade ingredients and set in the fridge until ready to use (anywhere from 2 hours-24 hours). 

(This was for a double batch, so there is a lot of spice.)

Melt the butter in a deep pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onions are transparent and start to brown, about 3-5 minutes. 

Add the spices: ginger, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala, salt, and coriander. Stir well. 

Stir in tomato paste, water, coconut milk, and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened. You can add the cashews at this point if you want, and they will get soft instead of being crunchy. 

While the sauce is simmering, get out the chicken. In a pan over medium high heat, add a little olive oil and cook the chicken in two batches for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until no pink is visible on the chicken.

Add the chicken and all the juices and sauce from the pan to the curry. Simmer the curry with the chicken at low heat for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked completely. At this point, you can serve the Coconut Korma, or you can leave the pot to simmer for an hour or so. The flavors will blend well with a longer cooking time.

Add the cashews right at the end if you want them crunchy, then taste and season according to taste. Serves about 5-6. Serve with rice and naan or another type of flatbread.

Melinda's Notes: I like the cashews soft, but that's my preference. Some people also add golden raisins as another ingredient. For a dinner, I would do the chicken in the morning, and then start cooking about  3 hours before dinnertime. It doesn't take much effort to make this, and I just leave the pot on my stove at the lowest temperature, stirring it occasionally until it's time to eat.