MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

     Title: Korma (Braising Indian Style)
Categories: Info, Indian, Main dish
     Yield: 1 text file

          Korma or Braising

 "Korma is meat or vegetables braised with water or stock, yoghurt or
 cream (sometimes all) to produce a rich substantial dish. There are
 many styles of korma each with a different taste or texture. some are
 cooked until a thick sauce is formed; in others the liquid is reduced
 to a glaze, or the sauce reduced to delicious flaky crust. The korma
 is made with finest quality young meat only.

 Braising uses a minimum of cooking liquor which is absorbed back
 into the meat together with all the savoury juices it has first
 extracted. True braising  is done on a very slow fire, with charcoal
 on the lid. If this is not possible,  food can be braised on top of
 the stove or started on top of the stove and later transferred to the
 oven. Braising is carried out in several stages and these are
 detailed below.

 The aromatics in braising are used in two or three stages also. The
 first are mixed into the marinade, the second added halfway through
 cooking and the third towards the end.

 Use your heaviest vessel, with a well fitting lid; it should be
 just large enough to hold the meat comfortably. Choose best quality
 meat, not too young, but certainly not old or stewing meat. Marinate
 the meat according to your recipe.  In some cases the marinade is
 drained from the meat and cooked separately with the aromatics to a
 thick paste, the marinade being added gradually to the meat as it
 dries. In both cases the meat is cooked and stirred over very high
 heat to drive the flavours inside. When all the marinade has dried,
 the meat is given a final brisk crisping in clarified butter. After
 searing, the meat is usually moistened a few times by sprinkling it
 with a liquid - stock, water or an infusion - about a tablespoon at a
 time, which is allowed to dry, the meat being stirred before the next
 sprinkling is added. Only experience will teach you how long the
 moistenings will take to dry. After about 15 minutes of careful
 attention, moisten finally, then seal the pot with a ribbon of dough,
 or by covering with a sheet of foil or greaseproof paper before
 putting on the lid.

 There are two methods of finishing braised meats. the dish is
 either 'glazed' quite dry of gravy or sauce, or served moist. To
 glaze, remove lid and stir meat continuously over a fierce heat until
 the juices form a savoury gelatinous coating. If the korma is to be
 served moist, the meat is given a delicate steaming - called a 'dum'
 ~ for 10-30 minutes in a low oven. Indian cooks put charcoal on the
 lid and place the casserole over the lowest possible heat.

 When braising a large piece of meat, the procedure is slightly
 different. Once well seared the meat is able to withstand brief
 periods of boiling. "The 'bhogar'. To make sure the meat is basted
 while cooking in a covered casserole, lift out the vessel and shake
 it well. The liquor will jump and drench the meat, releasing steam at
 the same time. This shaking is very important; it is a quick
 agitation, moving the pan sideways and downwards. This technique
 serves three purposes: it releases aromatic steam, bastes the meat
 and helps complete the cooking.

 In some forms of braising a fair quantity of cooking liquor _is_
 used, but always of a quantity that can be absorbed into the meat
 at the end of the cooking. The meat is removed and the sauce or
 liquor that has formed during cooking given a bhogar as follows:
 clarified butter is heated with a selected aromatic and the liquor
 is thrown in and mixed. It is reduced, covered, to the right
 consistency then added to the meat. The vessel containing meat and
 sauce is covered, the heat is rasied very high and another bhogar
 is given. The heat is reduced and the cooking completed with a
 'dum' to allow the ingredients to marry. "In some braisings or
 kormas, the meat is braised as usual, but the sauce is cooked by
 bhogar in a separate vessel. Meat and sauce are joined at a later
 stage by a third bhogar (clarified butter heated with fresh
 aromatics and the food mixed in). The differences in these
 processes will appear clearly when recipes are actually in use.
 The true bhogar blends flavours superbly, but is only possible if
 the casserole is placed in the oven or the lid charcoaled.

 Braising white meat needs even more care than braising red or dark
 meats. Red meats do not spoil when overcooked, but white meats are
 ruined. First lightly brown (gild) white meat in clarified butter, or
 boil in cream, yoghurt or a mixture of both or double broth, reducing
 to a glaze, then frying in clarified butter. Add liquor in very small
 quantities, and see that it is quite dry before you add more. Shake
 frequently to keep the meat basted and cook until it begins to stick
 a little to the bottom of the pan. Test the meat occasionally with a
 thin skewer. White meat is not cooked for long enough to produce its
 own gelatine, so the use of double broth or some marinade with a high
 fat content is recommended."

 Recipe by Dharamjit Singh "Indian Cookery"

 Posted by: Ian Hoare

MMMMM