Recipe for India's White Chicken Korma Curry as made for the Indian Rajs white banquets of India,

This is a slightly more complicated curry or Korma, but it is well worth the effort especially if you are trying to impress. Some of the ingredients may be a little more difficult to get hold of unless you have Asian shops, or an excellent deli nearby.

A mild aromatic korma,

The Moghul Emperor Shahjehan, builder of the beautiful Taj Mahal in Agra India, used to have all-white banquets on full moon nights at his Agra Fort in India. The terrace of the fort would be decorated with white carpets and cushions and white flowers, the guests dressed in white, and all thedishes served were white in colour.

The white korma was later perfected at the tables of the gourmet Nawabs of Oudh in Lucknow. They also had all-white banquets on the night of Sharad Poornima, the September
full moon, as late as the 1960s.
Originally this dish was made with almonds only, but modern cooks prefer a combination of
cashews and almonds.

Serves 4

4 green cardamoms

1 clove

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1¹/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

5oz (150g) full-fat yoghurt

¹/3 cup ghee or clarified butter

2oz (50g) blanched almonds

214lb (1kg) boneless chicken breasts, skinned

2oz (50g) unsalted cashew nuts

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder

2 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves

½ teaspoon mace powder

Two or three onions, chopped

salt

1 teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder

This is what you do;

1 Soak the poppy seeds in ½ cup water for 1 hour. Then drain off the water and grind into a fine paste with a pestle and mortar.

2 Hang the yoghurt in a cheese-cloth for 1 hour to drain off the whey. Then put yoghurt into a bowl and whisk.

Add the chicken to the yogurt and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

whenever you use chicken it really does tenderise it if you mariate it in yogurt, either full or half fat it's just the same affect.

3 Heat most of the ghee or clarified butter in a cooking pot, add the almonds, cashews and cinnamon or bay leaf and fry for about 7-8 minutes over a moderate heat. Add the onions and fry for about 10 minutes or until lightly coloured. Add the chilli, cardamoms and ground poppy seeds and fry for about 3-4 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon or bay leaf and leave to cool. Put the mixture into a blender and purée to a smooth paste.

4 Add 1 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter to the cooking pot, then add the garlic, ginger, clove.

After 1 minute, remove the chicken from the yogurt and add, fry until firm. The remaining yogurt can be added, stir it in to stop it curdling.

5 Add the ground spice mixture with the nutmeg and mace powders and salt to taste.

Stir well and add 1½ cups hot water. Simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes until the chicken is tender.

What to drink with a meal such as this is difficult, because it is so highly aromatic.
I like a wine made from the gerwertztraminer grape, either from the Alsace, or new world if you can find it.

As an aperitif, you could try a Ginger wine, or cream sherry, I know they are not in fashion these days, but I like 'em.

It needs a slightly sweeter wine than you might normally drink with a meal. May I suggest something from the Muscat range of wines.

A very strong lattee with a Turkish delight would be the perfect end. At one time I might have suggested a nice cigar too, cough, hic.