CHICKEN KORMA

serves 4-6

Ingredients • 1 ¾ pounds skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts) • 1 cup of Greek-style yogurt (not low fat) • korma paste (recipe below) • 2 medium onions • a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger • a small bunch of fresh cilantro • 1/3 cup of raw cashews • 1/3 cup of raw almonds, blanched • 1/3 cup of raw pistachios, blanched • 3-4 tablespoons of ghee • 1 14 ounce can of coconut milk (not low fat) • 2 heaped tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut • ½ cup of heavy cream • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 lemon (for serving)

Preparation 1. Cut the chicken into approximately 1-inch pieces 2. Combine the korma paste and yoghurt. 3. Add the chicken to the yoghurt and marinate for 30 minutes or, better yet, prepare it in the morning and let it sit 8-12 hours in a refrigerator. 4. Peel, halve, and finely slice your onions 5. Peel and finely chop the ginger. 6. Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks 7. Combine the cashews, almonds, and pistachios and grind in a food processor until they form a paste. 8. Put a large casserole-type pan on a high heat and add the ghee 9. Sauté the onions and cilantro stalks until the onion turns evenly golden, around 10 minutes 10. Add the marinated chicken breasts, coconut milk, heavy cream, nut paste, and unsweetened shredded coconut. 11. Half fill the empty can with water, pour it into the pan, and stir. 12. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on. 13. Check the curry regularly to make sure it's not drying out, and add extra water if necessary. 14. [Optional] Toss-in 6-10 green cardamom pods if you like it. 15. When the chicken is tender and cooked, taste and season with salt and pepper – season carefully

Serving Finish by scattering over with the cilantro leaves, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over. (Note: The lemon really rounds-out the flavor.)

KORMA PASTE Makes ~½ cup

Ingredients • 2 cloves of garlic • a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon garam masala • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (if the garam masala does not have much of it) • ½ teaspoon sea salt • 2 tablespoons peanut oil • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 2 fresh green chilies (Serrano is good) • 3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut • 2 tablespoons almond flour • a small bunch of fresh cilantro • Spices for toasting: o 2 teaspoons cumin seeds o 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Preparation 1. Peel the garlic and ginger. 2. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins 3. Put a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the spices for toasting to the dry pan 4. Lightly toast them for a few minutes until golden brown and smelling delicious, then remove the pan from the heat 5. Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar and grind until fine, or put them into a food processor and whiz to a powder. 6. When you've ground them whiz the toasted spices in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth paste.

bon appetit