I Need a Third Arm

মুরগীর কোরমা
Chicken Korma

My korma in 2018
(versus my korma in 2012 below!)

EDIT (17/02/2018): I've updated this post with with ingredient amounts and a method that works for me, and edited the original 2012 text considerably.

Chicken korma is a very common dish in Bangladesh, frequently making appearances at dinner parties or special occasions. Given my mom's recipe has so few ingredients, you might think it's a simple dish to cook. However, I found out the hard way that it isn't, especially if you're a novice trying to take pictures while cooking! The fact that korma relies on so few spices means getting the cooking method right becomes even more important. I got it wrong on my first few attempts, especially since cooking times for the chicken varies if it is on or off the bone, free range, conventionally grown etc. Hence I've updated the original post (and my mom's recipe) with timings and methods that have worked for bone-in free range chicken. 

The cinnamon powder I list in the ingredients is very non-traditional - and just a bad habit left over from my university days where I stocked the powder rather than solid bark. Usually korma would be cooked with pieces of cinnamon stewing with the chicken, which can then be removed before the dish is served. Of course, there are a lot of variations on korma out there, with recipes using coconut milk, nuts and even cream nowadays. Do go out looking for what you prefer, but this is what our family has always had at home. 

Local(ish) Ingredients, Bangladeshi Twist

Smoked Mackerel with Red Onions & Coriander

The coriander in the UK is so weak..

It's always interesting to see how people cook Bangladeshi food while they're not actually in Bangladesh. Granted, you can get a lot of imported ingredients nowadays, but being abroad results in a lot of improvisation and experimentation with local products. The end product is often very satisfying, as it was for me today.

In Bangladesh we have a variety of - for lack of a better term - mashed fish dishes. We cook the fish with a touch of spice, de-bone, mash and combine with various other herbs, spices, oils etc. Over the summer, I went to a house where I was served mackerel combined with red onions, coriander and mustard oil, inspired by this Bangladeshi way of serving fish. It worked really well, but unfortunately I forgot to ask exactly how the mackerel itself was prepared.  

Working from memory, I remembered the fish wasn't spiced like it would be in the usual Bangladeshi dish. Wanting something a bit different for lunch today, I decided to recreate a version of it. I couldn't get my hands on any mustard oil, so I substituted with olive oil. I also had no idea how to cook fresh mackerel, so I went for the smoked variety. I added a few more things here and there, and the result was as you can see in the picture above. I will, however, be trying this again with fresh mackerel and mustard oil.

The Iftaar Series: Part 2

Iftaar with Family

Okay, I realise it's not Ramadan but I did a part 1 to this a while ago and promised a part 2, so here goes. 

In Spain

Our table, with a close up of all the unhealthy but very traditional fried foods!

On my way to Bangladesh I stopped over in Madrid for a day, meaning I spent a day fasting and having iftaar there. Wherever our family may be in the world, our iftaars are still pretty traditional. So while there are tomatoes, cucumbers etc. on the table, we also do the more traditional fried foods. Looking to the picture on the right above, at the front left we have dal bora. Dal boras are usually served as snacks, and are made from lentils mixed with chilli and onion. This mixture is then covered in maize flour and deep fried. The shaag bora on the front right is similar except the lentils are replaced with spinach. Finally, in the background you have begunis, where the spinach or lentil is replaced with sliced eggplant. While it wouldn't be unusual to have these foods throughout the year, their popularity peaks in Bangladesh during Ramadan.