Thanda Qorma

Cold Chicken Korma

Non-vegetarian●●●Origin HyderabadPrep 15 minutes, plus cooling and chilling timeCook 35 minutes

A lightly spiced chicken curry cooked down until nearly dry, then chilled so the savoury juices and ghee set into a delicate coating around the meat.

Aromatic whole spices

2.3 gFried with the softened aromatics (step 2)

Clove · Laung

0.3 g4 cloves

spice

Green cardamom pod · Elaichi

0.7 g4 pods

spice

Cassia bark (Chinese cinnamon) · Dalchiniabout 2.5cm / 1 inch long

1.3 g1 piece

spice

Leave whole: they go into the warm fat together.

Simmering spice

0.2 gAdded alongside the chillies and water (step 4)

Black peppercorn · Kali Mirch

0.2–0.2 g4–5 peppercorns

spice

Keep whole.

Everything else

Ghee

26 g2 tablespoons

oil/fat

Onion · Pyazsliced

150 g1 onion

vegetable

Ginger · Adrakground

2.5 g1 teaspoon

aromatic

Garlic · Lehsunground

3 g1 teaspoon

aromatic

Chicken · Murghcut into bite-sized pieces

1000 g

poultry

Green chilli · Hari Mirchslit in half lengthways and de-seeded

18 g3 chillies

vegetable

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Method

Warm 26.4 g ghee in a heavy-based pan over low heat, then add 150 g sliced onion, 2.5 g ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon ground garlic, cooking gently without letting them take on any colour.
Stir in the aromatic whole spices and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add 1000 g bite-sized chicken pieces, toss thoroughly to coat, and place a lid on the pan for 1 minute. Remove the lid and gently sauté the meat, keeping it pale and unbrowned.
Toss in the simmering spice, 18 g slit green chillies, salt to taste, and 625 ml water. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the liquid has reduced to an almost dry glaze.
Take the pan off the heat and let it come to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until the sauce and ghee solidify around the chicken, then serve cold.

Don't have something?

Ghee

Unsalted butter
Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oil
Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oil
Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Onion

Shallot
Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.
Cabbage
Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Ginger

Fresh ginger
Use equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.
Ginger paste
Use equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.
Ground ginger
Use 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Garlic

Garlic paste
Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.
Garlic powder
Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.
Shallot
Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Clove

Ground cloves
Use 1 g ground for 4 g whole (or 1 small pinch per 2 to 3 whole cloves). Add with spice powders; disperses intense warmth quickly, so use with restraint.
Allspice berries
Use 100% of the weight whole in tempering. Imparts a warm, clove-like aromatic profile combined with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Black cardamom pod
Use 1 pod for 3 to 4 cloves in whole tempering. Shares a camphor-like warmth and medicinal depth, though it introduces a distinct smoky undertone.

Green cardamom pod

Green cardamom seed
Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.
Ground green cardamom
Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.
White cardamom pod
Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Cassia bark

Ceylon cinnamon
True cinnamon: thinner, papery quills, milder and sweeter. Use about 1.5 times the weight, and taste.
Ground cinnamon (cassia)
Use about a third of the weight (0.5 g ground for a 2.5 cm piece), stirred in with the ground spices rather than fried whole, since the powder burns quickly.
Cassia buds
Use 60-70% of the weight; stronger and more peppery, so taste before adding more.

Chicken

Turkey thigh
Use 100% of the weight, cut into equivalent bone-in or boneless pieces. Simmer for an extra 5 to 10 minutes; flavour and texture are very similar.
Lamb
Use 100% of the weight. Cut into bite-sized pieces and extend simmering time by 35 to 50 minutes, adding extra liquid to allow the meat to tenderise.

Black peppercorn

Coarsely ground black pepper
Use 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.
Ground black pepper
Use 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.

Green chilli

Chilli powder
Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.
Dried red chilli
Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Similar dishes

Murg Shahjehani

Imperial Chicken

It is richer, mildly tangy, and florally aromatic rather than fresh, savoury, and sharp from green chillies.

Same: Murg Shahjehani also braises chicken with onions, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, and black pepper.
Different: It swaps ghee for vegetable oil, adds yogurt, poppy seeds, cumin, coriander, and rosewater, and is served warm in a velvety gravy rather than chilled until dry.

Chicken Ishtoo

Indian-Style Chicken Stew

It tastes noticeably sharper and spicier from a much higher proportion of fresh ginger and green chillies, without the rich, buttery mouthfeel of this dish's cold ghee coating.

Same: Chicken Ishtoo shares a base of chicken simmered with onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, and warm whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
Different: Chicken Ishtoo uses vegetable oil instead of ghee, adds bay leaves, and keeps a loose, aromatic broth served hot rather than cooking down nearly dry to be chilled.

Kolhapuri Naralicha Kombdi Rassa

Coconut Chicken Curry with Cardamom, Kashmiri Chillies and Coriander

Kolhapuri Naralicha Kombdi Rassa is creamy, coconut-rich, gently spicy and lemon-tangy, while this dish is lightly spiced, savoury, ghee-rich and nearly dry when cold.

Same: Kolhapuri Naralicha Kombdi Rassa shares chicken, onion, ginger, garlic, green cardamom, cinnamon, clove and black peppercorn with this dish.
Different: Kolhapuri Naralicha Kombdi Rassa adds coconut milk, lemon, dried Kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander seeds, coriander leaf, water and vegetable oil, while this dish uses ghee and green chilli, has no coconut or lemon, and is cooked down then chilled.

Murg Pulao

Chicken Pulao

Murg Pulao tastes like a rice-heavy, aromatic, lightly tangy chicken dish, while this dish tastes like a lightly spiced, nearly dry chilled chicken curry with set ghee and savoury juices.

Same: Murg Pulao shares chicken, ghee, onion, ginger, garlic, clove, cinnamon, green cardamom and black peppercorn with this dish.
Different: Murg Pulao adds basmati rice, yogurt, black cardamom, cumin, coriander, bay leaf and far more ghee, while this dish has green chilli and is cooked down nearly dry then chilled.