Heat & Cooking Methods
Korma
Also: qorma, kurma, quorma
North Indian and Pakistani braising technique in which protein is slow-cooked in a sauce of yogurt or cream enriched with a nut paste, yielding a mildly spiced, velvety curry.
/KOR-mah/Urdu/Turkish: qorma (قورمہ), from the Turkish kavurma, meaning to braise or fry. Entered the subcontinental lexicon via the Mughal court kitchens of the 16th century.
Definition
Korma (from the Urdu/Turkish qorma, 'braised' or 'stewed') is both a cooking method and a genre of dish central to Mughal-influenced North Indian and Pakistani cuisine. The technique begins with the bhunnao step — frying a masala of fried onions, ginger, garlic, and whole warming spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay) in generous ghee until fragrant — then introducing the protein to seal it. The defining step is the gradual addition of whisked yogurt, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly to prevent curdling, followed by a nut paste (ground raw cashews, blanched almonds, or white poppy seeds thinned with water) that thickens and enriches the sauce. Cream or reduced milk may be added in later, restaurant-style versions. The dish then braises covered over very low heat — dum korma traditionally uses a sealed pot with live coals on the lid — for 45 minutes to two hours until the protein is completely tender and the sauce coats it thickly. True korma is not chili-hot; heat comes from black pepper and warming spices, not fresh chilies or red chili powder. The result is a deeply aromatic, creamy, subtly sweet curry of considerable complexity.
In use
“"For the korma, add the yogurt one spoonful at a time over very low heat — if you rush it, the sauce will break and turn grainy."”
See also
- TechniqueDum (Sealed Braising)
- glossaryBhuna / Bhunnao
- ConceptEmulsification
Related terms
References
- 1.Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking — Madhur Jaffrey
- 2.Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors — Lizzie Collingham
- 3.Prashad Cooking with Indian Masters — J. Inder Singh Kalra
- 4.Mughal Cuisine — Pratibha Karan
- 5.The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking — Yamuna Devi
Confidence: high
Notes
Yogurt tempering: the critical step
Yogurt is high in protein and will seize and curdle if introduced to high heat all at once. Korma technique requires whisking the yogurt until smooth, removing the pan from direct heat or reducing to the lowest possible flame, and adding the yogurt a tablespoon at a time while stirring constantly. Some cooks temper the yogurt further by stirring a ladleful of the hot masala into the yogurt before adding it to the pan — the same logic as tempering eggs for custard.
Nut paste function
Ground cashews or blanched almonds blended with water form a white paste that thickens the sauce, adds body and a mild sweetness, and — crucially — prevents the yogurt from breaking at higher temperatures. White poppy seeds (khus khus) serve the same purpose in Bengali and Hyderabadi variants. The paste is always added after the yogurt has been incorporated and the sauce has stabilized.
Mughal origins
Korma was a prestige dish of the Mughal imperial court, associated with refined, non-rustic cooking. Akbarnama records describe elaborate kormas served at royal banquets. The technique spread throughout the subcontinent with Mughal political influence, adapting locally: Lucknowi (Awadhi) kormas use dum sealing and fragrant kewra water; Hyderabadi versions add coconut; British-adapted 'mild curry' restaurant kormas post-date the original by centuries and are a distinct, simplified category.