Bangladeshi Chicken Korma for #eattheworld

Welcome to our August 2020 post for the Eat the World project, led by Evelyne of CulturEatz. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

This month we are visiting the country of Bangladesh - which was wonderful to learn more about, and search through the internet, browsing blogs and reading through recipes and learning more about the dishes that are known in Bangladesh. There is always so much to pick from! I settled on a Bangladeshi Chicken Korma recipe to try out, and we are so glad we did! 

This dish is so unique. The beautiful spices in this dish are subtle but prevalent in the creamy gravy. They blend together SO well! If you don't want to pick out peppercorns and cardamom pods, definitely tie everything up in some cheese cloth before adding to the dish - I didn't find it too much of an issue to pick out the small handful of whole spices. The buttery onions over the top are another level of really delicious flavor and texture. We will definitely revisit this recipe!

Come visit Bangladesh with us through our recipes this month:

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Fulkopir Chop (Bangladeshi Cauliflower Fritters)
Pandemonium Noshery: Zafrani Pulao
Sneha’s Recipe: Goalondo Chicken Curry With Bella Chara Porota
Palatable Pastime: Jhal Muri (Spicy Puffed Rice Street Snack)
Making Miracles: Bangladeshi Chicken Korma
Kitchen Frau: Chingri Masala (Bangladeshi Prawn Curry)
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding)
A Day in the LIfe on the Farm: Yogurt and Cilantro Marinated Chicken

Bangladeshi Chicken Korma

Ingredients
2 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken pieces
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 medium onion, peeled (divided use)
1 tsp ground ginger
2 Tablespoons minced garlic (jarred)
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
3 TBS water
4 - 6 green cardamom pods, cracked open
3 - 5 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 3-inch stick cinnamon
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Place the chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and season with 1 tsp salt. Thinly slice 1/4 of your onion into thin strips and set aside.
2. Rough chop the remaining onion, and add that plus the ginger, minced garlic, and 3 TBS water to a blender or food processor and process until a smooth sauce / paste forms (add additional splashes of water if needed to thin).
3. You can tie up your whole spices into cheese cloth if you would like to make removal easier after cooking - otherwise stir all of the spices: cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and black peppercorns along with the greek yogurt into the onion sauce and spread that over the chicken in the pot.
4. Over medium high heat, bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook 5-7 minutes, until the chicken starts releasing some moisture. 
5. Remove the lid, reduce temperature to maintain a low simmer, and cook another 15-20 minutes, until chicken reaches at least 165 degrees - flip the chicken back and forth in the pot a time or two. Add the lid back on if you feel your sauce is cooking off too much, it should be a gravy like consistency - add water if you need to thin the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings once cooked if needed.
6. Once chicken has cooked through, in a small skillet melt the 2 TBS of butter combined with the 2 TBS of oil, saute your onions in this for about 5-8 minutes adding a pinch of salt for seasoning, until tender and lightly browned (caramelize further if desired).
7. Serve the chicken and gravy over rice with some of the onions.

Recipe from NY Times Cooking