Lazeez Asian Cuisine Chicken Korma

Note to self: Out of all the Pakistani curries I would have to say chicken korma tops at #1…There’s just something about the flavor and deliciousness and aroma that makes my taste buds tingle. Korma, is basically a curry where meat or poultry is braised in a tomato/onion/yogurt sauce that’s simmered until it’s thickened. I know it seems like a daunting process but the main part is the waiting game. you’ll need a solid couple of hours to make but it’s totally worth it. Definite holy grail! Now this recipe does yield more sauce than chicken ratio…that’s because my husband like to eat it with noodles for some reason…I know…super weird lol. But I give him a pass since he’s not Pakistani. Traditionally it’s eaten with rice or naan. Naan is a fluffy bread that’s traditionally eaten in the Indian/Pakistani subcontinent and it’s baked in a tandoor (clay oven). Now I know we can’t all have tandoor’s in our kitchen, (Though how awesome would that be?!) so I would recommend getting it either from a Pakistani/Indian grocery store or really anywhere. Nowadays it’s so popular I saw it in Publix and Krogers! My favorite brand would have to be Reya and it can be found at…believe it or not…Costco. Now I know this isn’t the best picture but it’s really good. It can be found in the bread section where all the burger buns and hot dog buns are.

The best way I found to eat it is to warm it up in a skillet. Just splash a bit of oil and crisp it up for a few minutes on each side and you won’t even miss the tandoori naan.

Ingredients:

½ of a whole chicken (8 pieces) => (If you like more meat then use 10-14 pieces)
1 medium onion sliced
¼ cup oil
½ cup pureed tomatoes (28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes = 3½ cups)
½ cup plain yogurt
2½ cups water (divided)
1 packet of Lazeez Asian Cuisine Chicken Korma spice mix
2 tbsp oil + ½ tsp of oil
½ tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp ginger paste or ginger puree

Directions:

In a pot add chicken, 4 tsp salt and cover chicken with water. Place over med-high heat until you see the fat accumulate at the top. (About 5 min after boiling)
Turn off heat, skim fat and remove and wash chicken.
In a large sauce pan add ¼ cup of oil and add one small onion sliced. Cook until browned. (About 10-15 minutes)
Add ½ cup of pureed tomatoes to onions (I use a 28 oz of whole peeled tomatoes from the can and use an immersion blender to puree, I freeze the excess)
With a blender (don’t use an immersion blender, I know I did in my video but a blender works better), puree ½ cup of plain yogurt, 1 cup of water, the browned onion/tomato mixture, ½ tbsp minced garlic, and ½ tbsp ginger paste. Blend really really well. If you don’t the end product will be grainy and not smooth.
Add this puree back into the large saucepan.
Add 1 packet of Lazeez Asian Cuisine Chicken Korma spice mix, 2 tbsp of oil + ½ tsp of oil.
Mix well, cover, and cook on med/med-high heat until thickened (about 10 minutes)
Add chicken, 2 cups of water and coat well.
Turn down heat to medium/medium low and cover. Let it simmer for about 1 hour or until thickened and chicken is cooked all the way through.
Optional: If you like the curry to be more saucy add 1 cup of water and mix.

Serving size: 2-4 people

Note: Make sure to use a small onion, if you used too much onion it’ll become sweet. Don’t worry if this happens, if it does just add more spice mix or a couple pinches of salt to balance it out.

Note #2: I know in the video I used an immersion blender but use a regular blender. I found that the immersion blender didn’t quite blend enough to the consistency I wanted.