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."
