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This is the story of my attempt when I accepted the challenge of making Pakistani wedding-style ‘danedar’ (grainy) korma at home.
It had a good start. I had sautéed the chicken, yogurt, and spices. But the real test was that onion step, because I knew that the true soul of korma and that grainy texture are hidden in browning the onions properly.
I thought I would brown the onions quickly, but because of the heat, standing in the kitchen was becoming difficult. When I put the onions in the oil, it was hard to gauge how well they were cooking. After a while, the color of the onions started changing.
I tried to keep stirring the onions so they wouldn’t burn, and during this time, I noticed that some pieces of onions were browning faster than others. Therefore, I used a spoon and kept removing the brown pieces so the rest would get an even color. When all the onions turned a light brown color, I took them out of the pan and spread them out on a tissue paper. The onions had become crispy and had the exact color I wanted.
Then, once the onions cooled down, I ground them and added them to the korma. Browned in this way, the onions gave the korma the exact grainy texture and traditional flavor I was looking for. The technique of separating the onions worked, and my homemade korma turned out just like wedding-style korma.
My Tried-and-Tested Chicken Qorma: How to Achieve That Velvety, Restaurant-Quality Texture
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Instructions
- Crisp the Onions: In a pot, heat the ghee until melted. Add the sliced onions and fry until they turn an even golden brown. Remove them, set them aside, and let them cool completely. Once cooled, crush the fried onions and set aside.
- Bloom Whole Spices: In the same pot with the remaining ghee, add the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon sticks, black cumin seeds, and bay leaves. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Sear the Chicken: Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and mix well. Add the chicken (qorma cut) and fry until the meat changes color. Cover and cook for 4–5 minutes.
- Spice Integration: Add the salt, paprika powder, roasted coriander powder, red chili powder, and yellow food color. Mix thoroughly and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add Water & Yogurt: Pour in the water and mix well. Turn off the flame temporarily to prevent curdling, then whisk in the sour yogurt and mix well for 2 minutes.
- Simmer: Turn the flame back on, add the nutmeg powder and mace powder, mix well, and cook for 2–3 minutes.
- Incorporate Onions: Stir in the fried and crushed onions, bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Afterward, uncover and cook on high flame for another 2–3 minutes to thicken the gravy.
- Final Finishing: Finish the dish by stirring in the garam masala powder, butter, and kewra water.
- Garnish & Serve: Garnish with blanched almonds and fresh ginger strips before serving hot with fresh naan or Taftan.
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