Title: (AFA) About Korma
Categories: Indian, Info
Yield: 1 text file
Korma
Korma is a pretty complex subject. Simply, it translates to 'braise',
meaning both fat/oil and water present to cook a (usually) meat dish
in a low oven (typically) 120 C. The meat is usually spiced and fried
with yoghurt before a little water (could be a stock) or cream is
added and the whole sealed (not under pressure!) and cooked slowly.
The origin is probably middle eastern, and one can envisage these
dishes being started on a log fire, but finished in the coolest
embers, I have a book which talks about putting the embers on the
lid.
However, a korma is not one dish (as a vindaloo, or dhansak) but a
whole range of dishes, typified by using yoghurt and finishing in
a 'slow' oven (or glowing embers). It is usually a rich dish, made
with lamb or chicken, and can incorporate nuts. I think the
inclusion of coconut is more of a recent modification, for kormas
are associated with regions of Persia via Pakistan and J&K.
The 'restaurant' version is a bit of a mixture of kormas (at best)
and is usually thought of as a very mild dish. As has been stated
above, it is not a dish, but a method of cooking, so there are
probably hundreds of variations, and not all of them are mild
(chilli wise or spice wise). There is one korma, called a
marchwagan, (probably a version of mirch wagan, to indicate
chillies) which is much hotter than a pukka vindaloo. The korma is
probably the most extensive family of dishes in Indian cuisine.
Others include true curries (stews, perhaps vindaloo fits in here;
by the way, there is no bindaloo or tindaloo or phall in Indian
cooking!), bhoona (frying or sauteing), dumming (steaming in a
closed vessel). Life gets more complicated when two or more
techniques are used, to provide one with a huge range of dishes,
in my very humble opinion, the best the world has to offer. Hopes
this helps, always willing to help if I can.
