Name: Healthy Chicken Korma
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 tbsp (60g / 2oz) low fat natural yogurt; 1/4 tsp cornflour / cornstarch; 2 tsp olive oil; 1/2 white or brown onion, sliced (around 50g / 1.7oz); 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 tsp ginger paste (or 1 x 1cm piece of ginger, grated); 60 ml / 1/4 cup water; 1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (around 125g / 4.5oz each); 1/2 tsp garam masala; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 2 cardamom pods; 1 small stick or piece of cinnamon; 1 tsp flaked almonds; few sprigs of coriander, chopped

Question 1

How many calories does it have?

Accepted Answer

The fact that Indian curries are packed with curries is a common misconception. Yes, a lot are cooked in ghee (which is clarified butter, and nearly 100% fat). And many contain a lot of heavy cream and fatty meat cuts. However, making a healthy curry is not too tricky if you're happy to deviate from some of the traditional cooking methods. Use olive oil instead of ghee or butter, and use leaner cuts of meat or veg instead of fatty skin on chicken or red meat. 

This korma recipe uses yogurt which is actually quite true to the traditional recipes (which used yogurt and cream). It comes in at just 330 calories and 15g of fat. Yet it compromises on none of the taste, using several rich spices and flavours.

Question 2

Can you make it in advance?

Accepted Answer

This is a great recipe for reheating - it keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can also mix things up a little and add the cooked chicken to sandwiches or wraps or salads (obviously remove the chicken from the sauce when you come to serve it if you want to do that).

I don't recommend freezing this recipe. Low-fat yogurt can split when frozen and thawed. Plus you'll need to heat this thoroughly before eating and cooking the yogurt to that temperature may make it more prone to curdling (more on that below). However, if you do freeze and reheat it will be perfectly safe to eat. It just won't look as great.

Question 3

How to stop the yogurt splitting

Accepted Answer

The type of yogurt you use will make a big difference when it comes to how easily the yogurt curdles or not. Generally, full-fat yogurt will curdle less than low-fat. But, since we are making a healthy chicken korma here there are some tips you can use to make sure that the mixture doesn't curdle and leave that bumpy texture:

1.	Firstly, bring the yogurt to room temperature before using. This will stop the yogurt from heating as quickly which can cause it to curdle.
2.	Whisk the yogurt with a little cornflour. Whisk it really well until everything is fully combined and the texture of the yogurt is a little fluffier. 
3.	This is probably the most important part - make sure the pan isn't too hot when you add the yogurt. Reduce the heat right down until the curry is warm but no longer bubbling. 

If it does curdle then it's not the end of the world. You can still eat the curry - it just won't look as great (and the texture won't be as smooth).

Healthy Chicken Korma

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition