Korma

Not to be confused with Karma, a town in Belarus also spelled Korma, or karma.

Korma, kurma, qorma or qurma (Urdu: قورمہ; Hindi: क़ोरमा; Bengali: কোরমা; Persian: قرما; Kashmiri: قۄرمہٕ) is a dish originating in the Indian subcontinent influenced by Mughlai cuisine, versions of which later were modified to Anglo-Indian and then to British tastes. It consists of meat or vegetables braised with yogurt, water or stock, and spices to produce a thick sauce or gravy.^[1]

Korma

Chicken korma
Alternative names	Qorma
Place of origin	Mughal Empire
Region or state	India  Pakistan  Bangladesh  Iran  Afghanistan
Associated cuisine	Mughal cuisine
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	meat, yogurt
Media: Korma

Etymology

The English name is an anglicisation of the Hindi-Urdu qormā (क़ोरमा, قورمہ), meaning "braise".^[2][3] It refers to the cooking technique used in the dish.^[1][4] All these words, and the names of dishes such as the Iranian ghormeh (Persian: قورمه), Turkish Kavurma and the Azerbaijani qovurma or kavarma, are ultimately derived from a Turkic word qawirma, meaning "[a] fried thing".^[3] The Indian korma is, however, possibly unrelated in a culinary sense to the modern Turkish kavurma or to some other dishes using the same root word, as they use widely varying techniques and ingredients.^[5]

History

Korma has its roots in the Mughlai cuisine^[6] of the Indian subcontinent. A characteristic Mughal dish, it can be traced back to the 16th century and to the Mughal expansion into South Asia. Kormas were often prepared in the Mughal court kitchens, such as the famous white korma, perhaps garnished with vark, which was said to have been served to Shah Jahan and his guests at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal.^[7]

Indian cooks in the 19th century prepared curries for their British masters simplified and adjusted to Anglo-Indian taste. A quarama from Lucknow contained (among other ingredients) ghee, yoghurt, cream, crushed almonds, cloves, cardamom, and saffron; whereas an 1869 Anglo-Indian quorema or korma, "different in substance as well as name",^[8] had no cream, almonds, or saffron, but it added the then-standard British curry spices, namely coriander, ginger, and black peppercorns.^[8][9]

Preparation

A chicken korma dish

Potol (pointed gourd) korma

The korma style is similar to other braising techniques in that the meat or vegetable is first cooked briskly, or seared, using high heat, traditionally with ghee, and then subjected to long, slow cooking using moist heat and a minimum of added liquid.^[1] The pot may be sealed with dough during the last stages of cooking, using a technique called dum or dampokhtak. Korma is made using a technique called bagar. in the later stage of cooking, additional spices are mixed with heated ghee and then combined with the sauce formed by the braising. The pan is then covered and shaken to release steam and mix the contents.^[1]

There is a wide variation between individual korma and other curryrecipes. Chilli and ginger are often used, but the precise method of preparation results in widely different flavours. Indian bay leaves or dried coconut may be added, the latter being a predominantly South Indian flavouring.

Variations

In the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, a typical korma as served in curry houses is a mildly spiced dish with a thick sauce. It often features almonds, cashews or other nuts, and coconut or coconut milk. In the 21st century, chicken korma has several times been cited as the most popular curry in the UK, replacing chicken tikka masala in surveys of public eating habits.^[10][11]

Navratan korma

Navratan korma (Mughal kitchen)

Navratan korma is a vegetarian korma made with vegetables and either paneer (an Indian cheese) or nuts – or sometimes both. Navratan means "nine gems", and it is common for the recipe to include nine different vegetables.^[12]

In Malaysia

In Malaysia, korma or 'gulai kurma' is traditionally cooked with coconut milk instead of yoghurt among the Malays, as dairy products do not feature heavily in Malay cuisine. Meats used for kurma include chicken, mutton, beef, and deer. It also often contains more vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes, though this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Some recipes include tamarind as the souring agent, in place of the natural acidity of yoghurt.^[13]