Korma and Tikka Masala Paste
Intro
I was on trying to find a great mango chicken recipe. So I read a few recipes and found out that they are mostly identical. The biggest difference seemed to be the used curry paste. Some used a Korma style paste whereas others used a Tikka Masala. I decided to prepare both pastes and just cook the same mango chicken recipe twice simultaneously and find out what I like better.
Korma
Korma is a mild paste with an almond and coconut taste to it. Perfect for those who don’t like their dishes to be spicy.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 gloves of garlic
- piece of ginger (thumb-sized)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons of oil (e.g. groundnut)
- 1 tablespoon tomate puree
- 1 fresh green chili
- 3 tablespoons dried coconut
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 15g fresh coriander
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
Tikka Masala
Tikka Masala is a slightly more spicy paste and has much less coconut to it compared to the korma paste.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 gloves of garlic
- piece of ginger (thumb-sized)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons of oil (e.g. groundnut)
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 2 fresh red chili
- 15g fresh coriander
- 1 tablespoons dried coconut
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
Process
The process for the two pastes is similar, first toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan on medium heat for a couple of minutes until they smell deliciously. Peel ginger and garlic and cut them and the chili(s) in small pieces.
- Use a mortar to grind the roasted seeds
- Add the coarse sea salt and the fresh coriander. The coarse salt helps to grind the fresh coriander
- Add the garlic and the garam masala
- Add the ginger and rest of the spices
- Add the ground almonds
- Add the tomato paste and the oil
- Add the chili pieces
- Add the dried coconut
For the lazy ones: You can also put all the ingredients in a food processor and let it run until you have a smooth paste. But where is the fun with that?
