“Korma” : Foodie Story and Recipe
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Dear Reader:
Let me delve into my “Foodie Archives” and pull out my recipe for one of the first dishes I learnt to cook as a young boy…
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HOW TO COOK MUTTON KORMA
Simple Recipe By Vikram Karve
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Simple Curry — Mutton Korma — Easy to Cook — Tastes Delicious
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Long back — around 55 years ago — in the late 1960’s — in Bareilly — we once went for a meal in a restaurant called “Rio” — if I remember correctly.
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I wonder if “Rio” Restaurant still exists in Bareilly…?
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Everyone ordered chicken and vegetarian dishes.
I wanted to have mutton that day.
On the menu — in the list of the usual mutton dishes — I spotted Mutton Korma — and — I decided to eat it.
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Being a curious foodie — I wanted to know what “Korma” meant.
So — I asked the cooks over there what was the meaning of “Korma”.
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They told me that:
Korma means gravy made without Haldi (turmeric)
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Is this a fact…?
Can some culinary expert tell us more about this — is this true — or is it just a myth…?
If you google “Korma” — you will see that “Korma” is defined as a mildly spiced Indian curry dish of meat or fish or vegetables marinated in yogurt or curds.
But — I will stick to the definition that the cooks in Rio Restaurant Bareilly told me — more than 55 years ago in the 1960’s — that “Korma means gravy made without Haldi (turmeric)”
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RECIPE FOR MUTTON KORMA
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I was curious — so the cooks allowed me into the kitchen — and they let me see this simple dish being prepared.
This is the first non-veg recipe I learnt — and I used to make it often — because it is simple and straightforward to cook.
In fact — I have learnt most recipes by watching the dishes being made in restaurant kitchens — and later — when I was in the Navy — I used to observe talented Navy Cooks prepare typical Navy Cuisine Dishes in Ships’ Galleys.
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Now coming back to Korma — let me share the recipe for a simple Mutton Korma with you.
In a nutshell — Korma is a braised dish — the meat is first fried in spiced sauce (comprising masalas and pastes) — and then — it is stewed slowly in a closed container.
So — first let us start with frying the masalas, pastes and mutton.
Place a thick bottomed vessel on your stove — add a generous quantity of pure ghee — yes — pure ghee (clarified butter) — switch on your stove — turn on the heat — and — heat the pure ghee till it is hot.
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I prefer not to “pressure cook” meat — as I feel — slow cooking brings out the taste and flavour properly.
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To recap — place a thick bottomed vessel on your stove — add a generous quantity of pure ghee — yes — pure ghee (clarified butter) — switch on your stove — turn on the heat — and — heat the pure ghee till it is hot.
After the ghee is hot — add the whole masalas [tejpatta (bay leaf), choti and badi elaichi (small and big cardamom), laung (cloves), dalchini (cinnamon), kali miri (peppercorn)]
Saute the whole masalas — till they start crackling.
Then — put in lots of finely chopped onions — and fry the onions till brown and crisp.
Add ginger-garlic paste, red chillies — and fry till the moisture evaporates.
Then — add the mutton pieces — and stir lightly — and gently roast the mutton in its own juices till dry.
Now — add some whipped curd (yoghurt).
Let the mutton cook in the curd — stirring very slightly from time to time.
When the gravy becomes dry — and starts sticking to the bottom — lower the heat — add water to cover the mutton.
Then — cover the vessel — and simmer on slow fire — stirring once every few minutes.
If required — you can add a bit of water so that the mutton does not stick to the vessel.
Cook slowly — till the mutton is done.
You must keep sampling to see that the mutton is done to your taste — and the cooking process should take between 20 to 40 minutes — depending on the quality of mutton — and how you like it done.
When almost ready — add salt to taste — sprinkle a little cardamom powder for flavour — and give a final simmering boil to the curry — take off from the fire — and then — as a final touch — garnish with fresh green coriander leaves.
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The Mutton Korma is ready to eat with chapati, roti, pav, or rice — whatever you like.
I used to like cooking and eating Mutton Korma.
It is simple to cook — no fancy laborious time-consuming preparations and marinades — it is not too spicy — korma tastes nice and mild — and the dish is ready to eat in less than an hour.
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KORMA
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What is the true meaning of “Korma”…?
About the “turmeric” part — will someone please enlighten us…?
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Is it true that:
“Korma means gravy made without Haldi (turmeric)”
as the cooks in Bareilly had told me more than 55 years ago…?
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VEGETABLE “NAVRATAN” KORMA
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I cook KORMA without Haldi (turmeric).
But I have seen recipes of korma which include turmeric.
Try out this simple dish — you will relish the freshly prepared delicious steaming mutton korma with piping hot chapatis, rotis, phulkas, or fresh fluffy pav or buns or bread or even rice.
You can improvise a bit — add cashew paste to make the Korma thicker and yummier — or like they do in South India — add coconut milk to get a distinctive “Coastal” flavour.
I have seen Korma is made with vegetables too.
I love a Vegetarian Korma dish called Navratan Korma too — it is nice and sweetish.
I don’t know how to make Navratan Korma.
Here is a picture of Navratan Korma I clicked a few years ago.
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From the colour and the taste — it seems that Navratan Korma too doesn’t contain Haldi (turmeric)
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So maybe — the definition of Korma as told to me by the cook in Bareilly is correct:
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“Korma means Gravy made without Haldi (turmeric)…”
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Happy Cooking and Blissful Eating…!!!
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VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
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Disclaimer:
- This is an “experimental” recipe — so if you want to try it — try it at your own risk. I suggest you vary the Exact Quantity and Proportion of ingredients as per your culinary experience and taste.
- All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
- E&OE
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)
Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/05/how-to-cook-korma-simple-recipe.html
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Updated Version of My Recipe MUTTON KORMA posted by me Vikram Karve online earlier a number of times in my various Blogs including at urls: http://creative.sulekha.com/simple-cooking-mutton-korma_329697_blog and http://creative.sulekha.com/delicious-mutton-korma-curry_377866_blog and https://vwkarve.wordpress.com/category/bareilly/ and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/07/delicious-mutton-curry-korma-made.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/cooking-made-simple-mutton-korma.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/11/mutton-korma-made-simple-easy-cooking.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/01/mutton-korma-simple-recipe.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/how-to-make-korma-food-blog/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2020/12/19/what-is-korma-story-and-recipe/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/05/16/korma-easy-to-cook-tastes-delicious/ and https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/korma-gravy-without-turmeric-vikram-karve/ etc
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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