Safed Korma Mughal

Ingredients

• 1 kg murgh (chicken) (Bone-in pieces, skin removed — white-flesh pieces for purer colour)
• 250 grams dahi (plain yogurt) (Full-fat, room temperature, whisked smooth)
• 100 ml malai ya cream (fresh cream) (Single cream or whipping cream — adds the final ivory richness)
• 5 tbsp ghee (Ghee only — oil would affect the pale colour)
• 2 large pyaaz (onion) (Must be fried to GOLDEN only — any browning and your white korma turns amber)
• 5 tbsp kaju paste (cashew paste) (Soak 40 raw cashews in warm water 30 min, blend with water to very smooth paste)
• 6 pods hari elaichi (green cardamom) (Seeds extracted and ground — the dominant flavour of safed korma)
• 6 pieces sabut laung (whole cloves)
• 2 inch piece darchini (cinnamon stick)
• 1.5 tsp kali mirch (white or black pepper) (Use white pepper if available — black pepper is acceptable but creates dark specks)
• 2 tsp kewra water (The fragrance of safed korma — essential)
• 1.5 tsp namak (salt)
• 15 pieces badam (blanched almonds) (Sliced thin for garnish — the traditional safed korma topping)

Instructions

1. GOLDEN ONIONS — STOP BEFORE BROWN: Heat ghee in a wide, pale-coloured pot (so you can monitor colour accurately). Add sliced pyaaz and fry on medium heat only — no high heat. Fry for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly, until soft and just turning golden. The moment they're golden, remove them from heat immediately. HINT: This is the hardest discipline in safed korma — resisting the urge to go darker. Golden, not brown. Any browning will show in your final pale gravy.
2. BLEND ONIONS SMOOTH: Transfer golden onions to a blender. Add 2 tablespoons water and blend to a completely smooth, creamy paste. This pale onion cream is the base of safed korma's colour.
3. ADD WHOLE SPICES AND ONION PASTE: In the same pot with remaining ghee, add cloves, cinnamon, and crushed green cardamom seeds. Sizzle 30 seconds. Add the blended onion paste. Fry gently for 5 minutes. Do not let it darken. Add adrak-lehsan paste — use as little as possible for safed korma as it introduces colour — or omit entirely for the purest white version.
4. ADD CHICKEN: Add chicken pieces and kali mirch. Bhuno gently on medium heat — no high heat that causes browning — for 6-7 minutes. The chicken will turn white-opaque as it cooks in the pale masala.
5. ADD YOGURT WITH EXTREME CARE: This is the most delicate moment. Reduce heat to very low. Add yogurt 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring smoothly after each addition. Take 15 minutes to add all the yogurt. The mixture should remain pale and smooth — if it splits or turns grainy, you went too fast or heat was too high. HINT: Use a silicon spatula and stir in figure-8 motions rather than circular — it incorporates more gently.
6. SLOW COOK COVERED: Once yogurt is in, add 1/3 cup water, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 25-30 minutes. The chicken should cook through gently in the creamy yogurt environment.
7. FINISH WITH CASHEW PASTE AND CREAM: Stir in cashew paste. Cook uncovered 8 minutes until gravy thickens. Add cream, stir gently, cook 3 minutes. Add kewra water off-heat. The korma should be pale, almost white, creamy and fragrant. Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve on a white platter for full visual impact.