Korma (Qorma) is a popular dish in many parts of the world. The name Korma is derived from the Turkic word “qawirma”; literal meaning “act of frying”. There are countless ways to cook this dish and the procedure varies from one region to another. Some boil the meat (Lamb, chicken) before frying it, some like to preserve the meat and some use vegetables instead of meat.
The most common procedure used in the preparation of Korma is as follows:
Firstly, Onions are fried along with the meat (Chicken/Lamb) until it turns tender. Later, yogurt or cooking cream is added for flavoring the dish along with the native spices and is simmered until the gravy is thick enough and the meat is cooked. Water and stock can be added to adjust the thickness of the gravy. Spices are mainly added to make the dish more aromatic and further enhance the taste of Korma.
The Egyptian qawurma is very simple to prepare, only water and tomatoes are the ingredients used along with the meat to prepare this dish. I love the taste of korma from Mughlai cuisine which is quite complex to prepare as it contains many varieties of spices enrich with fruits, nuts, and flower essences. The meat for the Mughlai korma is marinated with yogurt, spices before frying, and the marinade will become the cooking liquid.
The oldest cooking procedure of Korma was written in a Persian cookery book “Maddat ol Hayat” during the reign of Shah Abbas I of Persia (1587-1629). The korma dish in that book was described as “Qavormeh Polav”.
In my city Al-Khobar, we have many Indian & Pakistani restaurants who are quite popular when it comes to serving delicious Korma dish. I personally love eating the homemade korma which is usually prepared by wife during family gatherings or religious festivals. Here are the restaurants which are famous for Korma in my city:
