There is something to be said for exploring the world through food!
Chicken Korma is not a Panamanian dish but it will forever remind me of Panama!
My husband and I first tried it and fell in love with it when we visited Panama this winter on our honeymoon.
He got the lamb version and mine was chicken. There were very few words exchanged at that night’s dinner as we were too busy DEVOURING our food.
The sauce is fragrant and rich, so be sure to serve with rice or whole grain to bread so you can mop up every drop!
You can make this recipe with any protein you like but keep in mind that because the sauce is very rich a leaner protein (chicken or turkey) may work better.
And don’t get overwhelmed by the number of ingredients. Complicated recipes are not for me!
Is mine authentic? Arguably not!
Is it delicious? You bet!
Chicken Korma:
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 can coconut milk
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp garam masala spice blend (you can easily make this blend at home if you don’t have it on hand!)
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 large onion
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup roasted cashews or almonds ground *DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! IT REALLY ROUNDS OUT THE FLAVOUR
directions:
1. combine coconut milk, garlic, chili, gram masala, paprika, salt and chicken breast in a ziploc bag and marinate for half an hour (or overnight)
2. chop onion and grind nuts in the food processor. Add to a sautee pan with 1 tbsp olive oil (or to cut down on the oil add 1/2 of the marinade to the pan first) and sautee until the onions soften
3. add can tomato paste and mix until combined
4. add the rest of the marinade and the chicken and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (10-15 minutes)
6. serve over whole grain rice
*I added some frozen peas just to give it some colour at the end!
