Chicken Korma

My posts may lead you to believe otherwise, but Darrell and I have actually been eating more than just sweets in the past few months. However, baby is usually Ready.To.Eat by the time we sit down to the table, so on the rare occasion we've tried a new recipe, taking a picture of it hasn't exactly been a priority.

However, I made photographing this dish a priority, mostly because there was no doubt that it needed to make an appearance on the blog. This is actually the second time we've tried this recipe, so I knew that it was going to be a winner. I know the ingredient list is pretty intense, and subsequently the directions are a little lengthy, but it really is pretty easy to throw together once all the prep work is done. And for an Indian dish, there really aren't any ingredients that you shouldn't be able to find in a standard grocery store, which is always a win in my book. Nothing is more annoying to me than having to drive all over town to speciality grocery stores trying to find an elusive exotic ingredient.

I will warn you though--if you are unfamiliar with cooking with turmeric, be warned that it is yellow--very yellow. And has the potential to turn your utensils (like a wooden spoon) or leftover containers yellow. But trust me--it's totally worth it.

Chicken Korma
(original recipe found here)

1/4 cup canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece ginger, grated
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cashews, roasted
Steamed rice for serving
Cilantro for garnish

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and cumin. Stir to combine and saute an additional minute. Mix in the chicken stock, tomato sauce, and sugar (add 1 tsp salt if desired). Bring to a boil and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add the chicken to the pot and stir to coat. Turn heat to low, partially cover the pot, and allow to simmer until chicken is tender and sauce is thickened, about one hour. Near the end of the simmering time, combine buttermilk and cashews in a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour into the pot and cook until heated through, about five minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Another thing to love about this recipe (besides the taste, of course)? You can get practically all the dishes done while the chicken is cooking, so the after-dinner cleanup is a cinch!