Why This Recipe Works
Chicken Korma has quietly overtaken Chicken Tikka Masala as the most ordered curry in the UK. Multiple surveys over the past few years have confirmed it: when British people order Indian food, they order korma more than anything else. And the reason is obvious — it's creamy, mild, subtly sweet, warmly aromatic, and completely non-threatening to anyone who's nervous about spice. It's the gateway curry. The first Indian dish children learn to love. The order for the person at the table who "doesn't really like spicy food." And when it's made properly — with real cashew paste, proper coconut milk, a gentle blend of cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves — it's genuinely one of the most elegant curries in the Indian repertoire.
The word "korma" comes from the Urdu word "qorma" meaning braising — the meat is slow-braised in a rich sauce enriched with yogurt, cream, or coconut milk. It has Mughal royal origins, served at the tables of emperors. This recipe uses Patak Korma Curry Paste as the aromatic base — it contains the exact blend of cashews, coconut, coriander, cumin, and fennel that defines restaurant korma, saving you 15 minutes of grinding individual ingredients. At Pick N Save, we stock Patak Korma Paste alongside Pride Coconut Milk, Maggi Coconut Milk Powder, Fudco Cashew Nuts, Uthra Almonds, and every spice you need. We've been guiding our Harrow families through the perfect mild curry for children and spice-averse guests since 1999 — korma ingredients are consistently among our bestsellers.
Step-by-Step Method
Step 1: Make the Cashew-Coconut Paste (3 Minutes)
Soak 50g of cashew nuts (Fudco Cashew Nuts Jumbo 700g or Fudco Broken Cashew Nuts 700g — broken cashews are cheaper and blend identically) in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain and blend with 100ml of coconut milk (Pride Coconut Milk 400ml — use a quarter of the tin, save the rest for the sauce) until you have a completely smooth, thick, cream-coloured paste. This cashew-coconut paste is the foundation of korma's signature velvety texture — it's what separates korma from every other curry. Set aside.
Shortcut: Skip the soaking and blending. Use 2 tablespoons of ground almond flour (grind Uthra Almonds 700g in a blender for 15 seconds) mixed directly into the sauce at Step 3. The texture will be slightly grainier but the flavour is 90% as good.
Step 2: Cook the Chicken and Onions (7 Minutes)
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee (KTC Butter Ghee 500g) in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Ghee adds a nutty richness that oil can't — it's a significant flavour contributor in korma specifically. Add 1 bay leaf (TFS Bay Leaves 50g), 4 green cardamom pods lightly cracked (TFS Green Cardamom Jumbo 50g), 4 whole cloves, and a 3cm piece of cinnamon stick (TFS Cinnamon Sticks Dalchini 100g). Let the whole spices sizzle in the ghee for 30 seconds — your kitchen will fill with the most beautiful, warm, sweet aroma.
Add 1 large onion, finely diced (White Onions Prepack 4Kg), and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft and light golden. Add 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste (Fudco Ginger Garlic Paste 300g) and stir for 1 minute. Now add 500g of boneless chicken thighs cut into 3cm chunks. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is sealed (white on the outside, doesn't need to be cooked through — it finishes in the sauce).
Step 3: Build the Korma Sauce (5 Minutes)
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 3 tablespoons of Patak Korma Curry Paste (Patak Korma Curry Paste 290g) and stir for 1 minute until the paste coats the chicken and becomes fragrant. Add 3 tablespoons of natural yogurt (Desi Natural Yogurt 1kg) — add it one tablespoon at a time, stirring continuously between each addition. Adding yogurt slowly prevents it from splitting in the hot sauce.
Pour in the remaining coconut milk from the tin (approximately 300ml of Pride Coconut Milk) and the cashew-coconut paste you made in Step 1. Stir everything together until the sauce is a uniform, creamy, pale golden colour. Add ½ teaspoon of sugar (korma should have a subtle sweetness — this balances the yogurt's tang), a pinch of turmeric (TFS Haldi Powder Rajapuri 100g) for the golden colour, and salt to taste.
Step 4: Simmer Until Tender (10 Minutes)
Bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer — barely bubbling. Cover the pan and cook on the lowest heat for 10 minutes. Korma must never boil vigorously — high heat causes the yogurt and coconut milk to split, turning the sauce grainy instead of silky. After 10 minutes, the chicken will be cooked through, the sauce will have thickened slightly, and the cashew paste will have melted into the gravy, giving it that legendary velvet texture.
Remove the lid. If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes to reduce. If too thick, add a splash of milk or water. The perfect korma consistency is pourable but thick enough to coat the chicken — similar to double cream.
Step 5: Finish and Serve
Add 2 tablespoons of double cream (Elmlee Double Creamy Taste 270ml) and stir gently. This final cream addition gives korma its luxurious, restaurant-quality richness. If you have a few strands of saffron (TFS Premium Spanish Saffron Grade 1 — 1g), soak them in 1 tablespoon of warm milk and drizzle over the top — it's optional but transforms the dish from home-cooked to celebration-worthy.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with a scattering of toasted flaked almonds (slice from Uthra Almonds 700g and dry-toast in a pan for 1 minute), a few golden raisins (Fudco Green Raisins 700g — optional but traditional), and a sprinkle of fresh coriander (Fresh Coriander Bunch). Serve with basmati rice (Tilda Basmati Rice 5kg), Garlic Naan, or plain roti. A side of Cucumber Raita and poppadoms (Lijjat Plain Papad 200g) completes the table.
Pro Tips from Our Store
- Patak Korma Paste does 80% of the work: This jar contains pre-ground cashews, coconut, coriander, cumin, fennel, garlic, and ginger in the exact ratios that define restaurant korma. You don't need to source, measure, or grind 12 individual ingredients. Three tablespoons + coconut milk + the cashew paste = a complete, restaurant-quality korma sauce. We stock the 290g retail jar and it makes 3–4 batches of korma.
- Whole spices make the difference: The bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sizzled in ghee at the beginning add a warm, sweet aromatic depth that ground spices alone can't replicate. You don't need to remove them before serving — they're meant to be left in (diners push them to the side of the plate). TFS Green Cardamom, TFS Cinnamon Sticks, and TFS Bay Leaves are the three most important purchases for your spice collection after garam masala.
- Coconut milk choices: Pride Coconut Milk 400ml is our bestseller — it's thick, creamy, and high in coconut fat which gives korma its body. For a lighter version, use Kara Coconut Water 1L (thinner, less creamy) or Maggi Coconut Milk Powder 150g reconstituted with water (convenient, long shelf life, very good flavour). The powder is also excellent for thickening the sauce if it's too thin.
- This is THE kid-friendly curry: Korma has zero chilli heat — the only warmth comes from the gentle spices (cinnamon, cardamom). If you're introducing children to Indian food, start here. Our Harrow customers consistently tell us that korma is the first curry their children learn to eat. The sweet, nutty, creamy flavour profile is naturally appealing to young palates. If serving very young children, blend the sauce smooth and remove the whole spices.
- Don't rush the simmer: Korma's silky texture comes from a long, gentle simmer — not vigorous boiling. Keep the heat as low as your hob allows. If the sauce bubbles rapidly, the yogurt and coconut milk will split into a grainy, oily mess. Low and slow is the korma rule.
- Make it ahead — it improves overnight: Like most braised curries, korma tastes even better the next day. The cashew-coconut paste continues to dissolve and enrich the sauce, and the spices meld deeper. Make on Saturday afternoon, refrigerate, reheat gently on Sunday for a stress-free lunch. The sauce may thicken in the fridge — add a splash of cream or milk when reheating.
Variations to Try
- Lamb Korma: Replace chicken with 500g of boneless lamb shoulder cut into chunks. Increase the simmering time to 30–40 minutes (or pressure cook for 15 minutes) until the lamb is fork-tender. Lamb korma is richer, deeper, and the traditional Mughal version. Use Shan Korma Mix 50g for the spice blend if you want a slightly different flavour from Patak.
- Vegetable Korma: Replace chicken with 400g of mixed vegetables — cauliflower (Cauliflower 1pc), potatoes (Potato White 2kg), carrots (Carrots 500g), green beans, and paneer cubes (Homeville Paneer Block 1kg). Par-cook the potatoes and cauliflower first. Simmer in the sauce for 8 minutes. A naturally vegan korma (skip the yogurt and cream, increase the coconut milk to 400ml).
- Prawn Korma: Replace chicken with 300g of raw king prawns (GF Prawn 31/40 PD 400g). Add the prawns in the last 5 minutes of cooking — they overcook easily. Prawn korma is lighter, more elegant, and cooks in half the time of chicken.
- Egg Korma (Budget-Friendly): Hard-boil 6 eggs (OS Eggs UK White 18pk), peel, and prick with a fork. Add to the finished korma sauce and simmer for 5 minutes so the eggs absorb the flavour. Egg korma is a beloved North Indian home-cooking classic that costs a fraction of meat korma.
- Navratan Korma (Nine-Jewel Korma): A royal Mughal dish with 9 different ingredients in the sauce — cashews, almonds, raisins, paneer, peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower, and cream. Use the same korma base, add the mixed vegetables and paneer, and garnish lavishly with fried nuts and raisins. This is the showstopper korma served at Indian weddings and celebrations.
Shop This Recipe at Pick N Save
Every single ingredient for this recipe is available at picknsave.co.uk with home delivery across London and the UK, or click and collect from our store in Harrow. Here's your shopping list:
- Korma Paste: Patak Korma Curry Paste 290g | Shan Korma Mix 50g
- Coconut Milk: Pride Coconut Milk 400ml | Kara Coconut Water 1L | Maggi Coconut Milk Powder 150g | Maggi Coconut Milk Powder 300g | Maggi Coconut Milk Powder 1kg
- Cashews & Almonds: Fudco Cashew Nuts Jumbo 700g | Fudco Cashew 700g | Fudco Broken Cashew Nuts 700g | Fudco Extra Jumbo Cashew Nuts 700g | Fudco Cashew Nuts Splits 700g | Uthra Cashew Nuts Indian 700g | TFS Cashew Nuts Indian 100g | TFS Cashew Nuts Indian 300g | TFS Cashew Nuts Indian 700g | Uthra Almonds 700g | Fudco Almonds Supreme 700g | Heera Almonds 700g | TFS Jumbo Almond 700g | TFS King Almond 700g
- Ghee: KTC Butter Ghee 500g | KTC Butter Ghee 2kg | Khanum Pure Ghee 500g | Patanjali Cow Ghee 500g
- Whole Spices: TFS Green Cardamom Jumbo 50g | TFS Cinnamon Sticks Dalchini 100g | TFS Bay Leaves (Tej Patta) 50g | Fudco Cardamom Green Bold 50g | Fudco Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini) 50g
- Cream: Elmlee Double Creamy Taste 270ml
- Yogurt: Desi Natural Yogurt 1kg | Continental Low Fat Natural Yogurt 400g
- Saffron (Optional Luxury): TFS Premium Spanish Saffron Grade 1 — 1g | TFS Premium Spanish Saffron Grade 1 — 2g
- Pastes: Fudco Ginger Garlic Paste 300g | Taj Ginger Garlic Crushed 400g
- Fresh Produce: White Onions Prepack 4Kg | Fresh Coriander Bunch 1Pc
- Garnish: Uthra Almonds 700g (flaked/sliced for topping) | Fudco Green Raisins 700g
- Rice & Bread: Tilda Basmati Rice 5kg | Shana Naan Garlic 300g | Leicester Garlic Naan 2s | Shana Chapatti Multi Pack 20s
- Accompaniments: Lijjat Plain Papad 200g | Desi Natural Yogurt 1kg (for raita)
- For Vegetable Korma: Cauliflower 1pc | Potato White 2kg | Carrots 500g | Homeville Paneer Block 1kg
- For Prawn Korma: GF Prawn 31/40 PD 400g
- For Egg Korma: OS Eggs UK White 18pk
- Other Patak Curry Pastes (Build Your Collection): Patak Mild Curry Paste 283g | Patak Tikka Masala Paste 283g | Patak Rogan Josh Paste Mild 283g | Patak Madras Curry Paste 283g | Patak Bhuna Curry Paste 283g | Patak Jalfrezi Curry Paste 283g | Patak Balti Paste Mild 283g | Patak Vindaloo Curry Paste 283g | Patak Extra Hot Curry Paste 283g | Patak Kashmiri Masala Paste 295g | Patak Garam Masala Paste 283g | Patak Biryani Paste 283g
