Shahi Korma

Meet Shahi Korma, the elite of North Indian curries and korma dishes. It’s a rich & luxurious dish that’s not only creamy & delicious, but is also fragrant from a unique spice blend. It is specially garnished with saffron, ghee, fried onions and crunchy nuts. It’s a celebratory dish and is great to make during festivals, when you are hosting guests or planning a special meal.

I use chicken drumsticks to make this Shahi Korma recipe, but you can make it with vegetables or paneer or tofu.

What is Shahi Korma?

While the term Shahi translates to royal & rich, korma is a traditional braised dish consisting of dairy, nuts, seeds & meat or veggies. True to its name, this Shahi Korma is a rich curry made with meat, almonds, cashews, ghee, yogurt, cream, saffron and a special combination of sweet smelling spices known as Shahi Korma Masala.

The secret to a good Shahi Korma is in this unique spice blend and the use of luxurious fragrances like saffron and rose or kewra. A generous amount of ghee floating over the Shahi Korma and garnishes like fried onions & crunchy almonds take it to the new heights.

Shahi Korma masala is a super fragrant spice blend made with green cardamoms, nutmeg, mace, shahi jeera (Indian caraway), fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, pepper and sometimes black cardamom. These spices are roasted in a pan on a low heat to bring out the flavors, before grinding to a fine powder.

While a standard/regular korma can be made with a garam masala, I highly suggest using Shahi Korma masala shared below, to make this dish. The list may look similar to those used in garam masala or biryani masala, but the quantities mentioned below produce a distinct flavor profile.

It brings a new and unique dimension to your dish. If you do not have whole spices, you may substitute with the ground versions. But adjust the quantities as the pre-ground spices, especially the store bought are less aromatic due to oxidization.

• 1 small black cardamom (optional or use whole in tempering)
• 1 teaspoon shahi jeera (Indian caraway seeds)
• 6 to 8 cloves (or use ¼ teaspoon ground)
• 2 inch Ceylon cinnamon (or use ⅓ teaspoon ground/powder)
• 8 green cardamoms (or use ⅓ teaspoon ground/powder)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (or use ¾ teaspoon ground)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon white pepper corn (or use ¼ teaspoon ground, use black if you don’t have white)
• 2 strands mace (or use ¼ teaspoon ground)
• Add ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon fresh fine grated nutmeg at the end directly to the shahi korma, before garnishing. Do not include it in your korma masala.

You will peel the whole black cardamom if using. Use the seeds and only half of the peel, discard the rest of the peel. Dry roast all the spices on a low heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Turn off and grind to a fine powder if using whole spices.

About this recipe

Conventionally, Shahi Korma is made by deep frying & caramelizing onions for the base, which means more ghee/oil and higher calories. However I prefer to sautee the onions until caramelized but finish with a moderate amount of ghee & fried onions at the end.

This actaully imparts better flavors than the traditional version, without loading your dish with high amounts of fats. Your Shahi Korma tastes and smells much fresher than the other. Over the years, I have always had great compliments for this dish. It goes very well with this Saffron Rice or Butter Naan or Matar/Peas Pulao. But plain parathas or plain basmati rice also work well.

This recipe makes a delicious dish that isn’t too heavy like the traditional kind. So If you are making this for a special meal, you should have 3 to 4 easy vegetarian sides like Kachumber, Raita, Sauteed Vegetables, Garlic Beans, Spiced Potatoes or Stir fried Mixed Vegetables. If you prefer more meat or protein, go with Tandoori Chicken or this Butter Chickpeas.

I also have a expert tips section below that also includes substitutes and other tips.

Photo Guide

How to make Shahi Korma (stepwise photos)

Preparation

1. Add 10 almonds (16 grams) and 15 cashews (28 grams or replace with almonds) to a small bowl and soak them in half cup hot boiling water. After 25 mins, drain and add to a grinder or blender. If you do not have a powerful blender, consider soaking them overnight in the refrigerator. Optionally if you prefer you may peel as many almonds as you want, but it’s not essential.

2. Pour ¼ to ⅓ water and blend to a super smooth paste.

3. You need the following spices to marinate the chicken.

• 1½ teaspoon korma masala (recipe in post intro)
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder (use 2 tsps for low heat, I use 1 tbsp deseeded home ground powder)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (use any other but adjust as required)
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste (or 1½ tablespoon grated)
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste (or 1½ tablespoon grated)
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice (to cut down the poultry smell)

4. Add 1 kg bone-in skinless chicken (curry cut or drumsticks) to a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice (optional), ginger, garlic and salt. Rub well and add all the ground spices – chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder and korma masala. Cover and rest aside for 30 to 60 mins max or until needed later.

5. Prep-up the following ingredients

• ¼ to ⅓ cup ghee or oil ( or use half cup. I use ⅓ cup coconut oil)
• Fine chop 3 medium onions to make 2¾ cups (300 grams after chopping)
• Whisk 1 cup plain yogurt in a bowl and keep aside.
• 1 to 1¼ tablespoon korma masala or use as needed. (recipe in post intro)
•  ¼ cup heavy cream or cooking cream (If using cooking cream, whisk well with a fork)
• Also have your nut puree ready.

6. To save time, prep up these later while the shahi korma is cooking.

• ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon fresh grated fine nutmeg
• Soak ¼ teaspoon saffron strands in 2 tbps hot water
• Reserve ½ to 1 teaspoon organic rose water / or half tsp kewra water (or use 1 tablespoon dried organic rose petals crushed. I roast in a pan and crush them)
• ¼ cup ghee 
• Slice evenly 1 small onion & seperate the layers to make ¾ cup (50 grams)
• 1½ tablespoons toasted almond flakes or slices or 10 almonds blanched & peeled (I soak 10 overnight, peel and use)

Cook Shahi Korma

7. On a medium flame, heat oil/ghee in a large pot and add the onions. Spread them and let fry for 10 mins, stirring every 2 mins.

8. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to saute until light golden to brown, as seen in the picture. During this stage, keep stirring every minute. It takes me 20 mins to reach this stage. It may be different for you but be patient and don’t hurry up. Avoid frying on a high heat.

9. Deglaze with 2 tablespoons water and cook until jammy, for another 2 mins.

10. Immediately add the marinated chicken and fry on a medium high heat for 5 to 6 mins. Do not stir a lot, your meat can get mushy since you marinated it with lemon.

11. Lower the flame and add whisked yogurt in 2 batches, stirring in between.

12. Mix well and cook covered for 5 to 6 mins. It’s alright if the yogurt splits.

13. Your chicken will release juices during this time, so add water accordingly, depending on the size of your cut chicken.

14. Since I was using drumsticks, I added ¾ cup hot water. If in doubt, add a small amount in batches.

15. Cover and cook until your chicken fully cooked. It took me another 8 mins. If you are a beginner, you may test with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken. It should read 175F / 79 C. (Total cooktime for medium sized drumsticks was 20 mins)

16. Add the nut puree and mix well. Cook for 4 mins, or until it becomes thick and creamy. Keep stirring at this stage. If your shahi korma is too thick, add more hot water. (Your sauce will thicken a bit more after cooling)

17. Sprinkle the korma masala and mix. Cook covered for 3 mins.

18. Taste test to adjust salt & rose powder if using (not rose water).

19. Switch off the heat and stir in heavy cream & nutmeg. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle rose water/kewra and saffron water. Cover to retain the best aromas.

Prepare the Garnishing

Do this only when you are ready to serve.

20. Heat ghee in a wide pan. (I use a 6 inch pan). Seperate the layers of sliced onions and add to the ghee.

21. Fry on a medium heat until golden, but not burnt. Remove them when they are still light golden, they will turn darker after removing, when they cool down.

22. Remove to a plate and spread them to cool, for 2 to 3 mins. Once cooled, separate the crispy fried onions and drizzle them on top.

Pour the hot ghee & sprinkle nuts all over the shahi korma. For a low fat option, retain some of the ghee in the pan and add only half of it. Serve Shahi Korma with Saffron Rice, Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti, Parathas, Pulao or plain basmati rice.

Expert Tips

• The homeground deseeded byadgi chili powder I use imparts a bright color without adding a lot of heat. If you cut down the quantity you may not get the same color. But shahi korma comes in different colors – white, off white, yellow, orange and red. Color won’t affect the taste of your dish.
• It is ideal to keep this dish low to medium in heat. High heat is going to mute the essential flavors of a shahi korma.
• It’s alright if the yogurt splits. There are a lot of recipes where it is stirred into hot ghee and left to split before adding the meat. Split or not, it does not make much difference to the sauce here, because the nut puree is going to thicken and smoothen the curry at the end.
• Korma was actually made only with almonds but combining them with cashews improves the flavor and texture of the curry.
• I find black cardamom peel to be too strong for this recipe. It’s alright to add it whole right at the beginning when you add onions. Or add a portion of it when you grind.
• I use the entire amount of korma masala but you can start with half of it, taste test and add to your preference.
• Overnight soaked and peeled almonds (used in garnish) add a refreshing taste to the korma. I like them adding raw that the store bought sliced toasted flakes.
• Dried rose petals work okay but not as much as rose water or kewra. You can’t find organic kewra water but organic edible rose water and rose petals are easily available. Consider omitting them if you don’t find the chemical-free versions.

Recipe Card