Chicken Kurma – Coconut Mint Chicken Curry
Quite often, when people see the word kurma, they assume it is korma misspelled. This Chicken Kurma is a delicately spiced creamy curry from South India. It is another comforting take on chicken curry that is easy and satisfying. It is best enjoyed with steaming white rice.
What is Chicken Kurma and How does it Differ from Chicken Korma?
Both, korma and kurma are creamy curries, however the korma is from North India and Kurma from the South. The flavors in the kurma are different, the sauce gets its creaminess from coconut and ground poppy seeds. Just a note on the ground poppy seeds, if you do not have any you can leave them out. Your curry will be thinner, but still pretty good! The other nuanced flavors are star anise and curry leaves. This version also gets finished with mint. So in short, you have a fragrant comforting curry that is perfect for a winter meal.
I have more korma recipes on this site like this light chicken korma recipe and this baked variation.
I am so ready for vacation, expect I do not want to pack. Do you like packing? I absolutely do not. There I said it, I hate packing. I am glad that the children now do their own packing. Even in the earlier days, this I passed off the husband to handle. Thank goodness for his OCD inclinations.
My Chicken Kurma Story
Back to this delicate and flavorful curry, to me it is comfort in a bowl. Satisfying after a trek on a wet and rainy night, and festive enough for company. Want to try something something different or complementary for a quite dinner party, pair this with Mushroom Pulao and Alu Gobi, all done in the instant pot while you finish the last of your holiday shopping. Less than two weeks, and the year is winding down to a close. 2019 has been a year without much drama for me anyway. I will take this over years off too many highs and lows. Gentle peaks, plateaus, plains is what I want from life in the upcoming year anyway. There is a lot of said for quiet and cozy comfort, which is what this luscious curry is about. Make yourself a batch and savor the comforting flavors.
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A fragrant and creamy chicken curry with notes of fennel, anise and mint.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons white poppy seeds (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon fennel
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, cut into largish pieces
- 3 tablespoons yogurt
- 2 tablepoons oil
- 2 to 3 star anise
- 1 large onion, finely chopped (see notes)
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 medium sized tomato, diced
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 3/4 cup (about 1/2 can coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- Place the poppy seeds, fennel and black peppercorns in a spice mill and grind to a fine powder.
- Toss the chicken in the yogurt and set aside for 15 minutes, while doing the rest of the prep.
- Turn the instant pot onto saute mode.
- Add in the oil and heat for 2 minutes. Add in the star anise and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the chopped onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 3 minutes until very fragrant.
- Add in the chicken with the yogurt and turmeric saute for another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato. Turn off the saute mode.
- Add in the curry leaves, salt and the poppy seed mixture and stir well.
- Add in 1/4 cup water and mix well to deglaze the inner pot.
- Cover and set on 3 minutes pressure and allow a natural release.
- Remove the cover and stir in the coconut milk. Turn on the saute function and heat through.
- Stir in the mint and serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
If you do not have poppy seeds you can add blanced almonds. The onion, ginger and garlic can be chopped together in the food processor. You can follow the same instructions to do this on the stovetop, you will need to saute the chiicken for 3 to 4 minutes longer, and add about 3/4 cup of water.