# Korma

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{{About|the curry dish|the village in Estonia|Kõrma|the town in Belarus sometimes spelled Korma|Karma, Karma District}}
{{Short description|Type of curry}}
{{good article}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox food
| name               = Korma
| image              = File:Chicken Korma.JPG
| image_size         = 250px
| caption            = Chicken korma
| alternate_name     = Qorma 
| place_of_origin    = [Mughal Empire](/source/Mughal_Empire) 
| region             = [India](/source/India)<br/>[Pakistan](/source/Pakistan)<br/>[Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh)<br/>[Iran](/source/Iran)<br/>[Afghanistan](/source/Afghanistan)
| associated_cuisine = [Mughal cuisine](/source/Mughal_cuisine)
| served             = Hot 
| main_ingredient    = [meat](/source/meat), [yogurt](/source/yogurt)
}}
'''Korma''', '''kurma''', '''qorma''' or '''qurma''' ({{Langx|ur|قورمہ}}; {{Langx|hi|क़ोरमा}}; {{Langx|bn|কোরমা}}; {{Langx|fa| قرمه}}; {{Langx|ks| قۄرمہٕ}}) is a [curry](/source/curry) dish originating in the [Indian subcontinent](/source/Indian_subcontinent) influenced by [Mughlai cuisine](/source/Mughlai_cuisine), versions of which later were modified to [Anglo-Indian](/source/Anglo-Indian) and then to [British tastes](/source/Curry_in_the_United_Kingdom). It consists of meat or vegetables [braised](/source/Braising) with [yogurt](/source/yogurt), water or stock, and spices to produce a thick sauce or [gravy](/source/gravy).<ref name=singhp24/> The flavours of kormas are less intense than those of meat-containing dishes, and the fragrances more aromatic.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Pant |first=Pushpesh |author-link=Pushpesh Pant |title=India: The Cookbook |publisher=[Phaidon Press](/source/Phaidon_Press) |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7148-5902-6 |location=London & New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/indiacookbook0000pant/page/16/ 17], [https://archive.org/details/indiacookbook0000pant/page/786/ 786]}}</ref>

==Etymology==

The English name is an anglicisation of the [Hindi-Urdu](/source/Hindustani_language) ''qormā'' (क़ोरमा, قورمہ), meaning '[braising](/source/braising)',<ref name="M-W">{{cite web |title=Definition of Korma |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/korma |website=[Merriam-Webster](/source/Merriam-Webster) |date=2022 |quote=Hindi & Urdu qormā, of Turkic origin; akin to Turkish kavurma fried meat, from kavur- to fry, roast}}</ref><ref name="Perry 2010">{{cite book |last=Perry |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Perry (food writer) |chapter=Korma, Kavurma, Ghormeh: A family, or not so much? |editor-last=Hosking |editor-first=Richard |editor-link=Richard Hosking |title=Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009 |year=2010 |publisher=[Prospect Books](/source/Prospect_Books) |pages=254–256}}</ref> the cooking technique used in the dish.<ref name="singhp24">{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Dharamjit |title=Indian Cookery |publisher=[Penguin Books](/source/Penguin_Books) |year=1973 |isbn=978-0140461411 |pages=24–26}}</ref><ref name=mw>{{cite Merriam-Webster|korma|access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref> All these words, and the names of dishes such as the {{langx|fa|قورمه}} ''[ghormeh](/source/ghormeh_sabzi)'', the [Turk](/source/Turkish_cuisine)ish ''[kavurma](/source/kavurma)'' and the [Azerbaijan](/source/Azerbaijan)i ''[qovurma](/source/qovurma)'' or ''kavarma'', are ultimately derived from the [Turkic](/source/Turkic_languages) ''qawirma'', "[a] fried thing".<ref name="Perry 2010"/> However, korma and modern Turkish kavurma are quite different dishes.<ref name="Perry 2010"/>

[[File:Korma etymology.svg|thumb|center|upright=2|The [etymology](/source/etymology) of korma. The English word is from Hindi-Urdu, derived ultimately from Turkic. The dishes named vary widely.<ref name="Perry 2010"/>]]

==History==

Korma stems from [Mughlai cuisine](/source/Mughlai_cuisine)<ref name=times2773345>{{cite news |last=Anand |first=Anjum |author-link=Anjum Anand |title=My Chicken Korma |date=30 October 2007 |newspaper=[The Times](/source/The_Times) Online |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/anjum_anand/article2773345.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727020352/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/anjum_anand/article2773345.ece}}</ref> of the [Indian subcontinent](/source/Indian_subcontinent). Kormas were prepared in the Mughal court kitchens;<ref name=chapman26>{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=Pat |author-link=Pat Chapman (food writer) |title=India: Food and Cooking |publisher=[New Holland Publishers](/source/New_Holland_Publishers) |year=2009 |page=26}}</ref> according to the historian of food Neha Vermani, the dish is first mentioned in <!--"aristocratic" -->cookery books from the reign of [Shah Alam](/source/Bahadur_Shah_I) (r. 1643–1712). During the 18th century, cooks in the Mughal court enriched the [Persian-style](/source/Iranian_cuisine) stew with almonds, garlic, spices, and yoghurt.<ref name="Khan 2022 HB">{{cite web |last=Khan |first=Tarana Husain |title=Qorma: A short history of a long journey in the making of this South Asian staple |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.in/travel-food/story/qorma-a-short-history-of-a-long-journey-in-the-making-of-this-south-asian-staple-564885-2022-12-06 |website=Harper's Bazaar India |access-date=20 December 2025 |date=6 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Tarana Husain |title=Degh to Dastarkhwan: Qissas and Recipes from Rampur Cuisine |date=2022 |publisher=[Penguin Books](/source/Penguin_Books) |isbn=978-0143451464 |chapter=Weddings and the Repletion of Taar Roti and Qorma}}</ref> In [Hyderabad](/source/Hyderabad) in 1832, a "korma" variety of [pilau](/source/Pilaf) included thinly-sliced meat with rice.<ref name="Sen 2015"/>

Indian cooks in the 19th century prepared curries for their British masters simplified and adjusted to [Anglo-Indian taste](/source/Anglo-Indian_cuisine). A ''quarama'' from [Lucknow](/source/Lucknow) contained (among other ingredients) ghee, yoghurt, cream, crushed almonds, cloves, cardamom, and saffron; whereas an 1869 Anglo-Indian ''quorema'' or ''korma'', "different in substance as well as name",<ref name="Collingham 2006"/> had no cream, almonds, or saffron, but added the then-standard British curry spices, namely coriander, ginger, and black peppercorns.<ref name="Collingham 2006">{{cite book |last=Collingham |first=Lizzie |author-link=Lizzie Collingham |title=Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors |date=2006 |orig-year=2005 ([Chatto & Windus](/source/Chatto_%26_Windus)) |publisher=[Vintage Books](/source/Vintage_Books) |location=London |isbn=978-0-099-43786-4 |pages=116–117}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Thirty-Five Years' Resident |chapter=Kurma or Quorema Curry |title=The Indian Cookery Book |date=1869 |publisher=Wyman & Co. |location=Calcutta |page=22 |chapter-url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=EvcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA22&hl=en_GB |quote=This, without exception, is one of the richest of Hindoostanee curries, but it is quite unsuited to European taste, if made according to the original recipe, of which the following is a copy:}}</ref>

==Preparation==

The korma style is similar to other [braising](/source/braising) techniques in that the meat or vegetable is first cooked briskly, or seared, using high heat, traditionally with [ghee](/source/ghee), and then subjected to long, slow cooking using moist heat and a minimum of added liquid.<ref name=singhp24/> The pot may be sealed with dough during the last stages of cooking, using a technique called ''dum'' or ''[dampokhtak](/source/dampokhtak)''.
The spices are prepared using the ''[bagar](/source/chaunk)'' tempering technique, briefly fried in hot oil. in the later stage of cooking, additional spices are mixed with heated ghee and then combined with the sauce formed by the braising. The pan is then covered and shaken to release steam and mix the contents.<ref name="singhp24"/> As cooking ends, butter or cream is sometimes added.<ref name="Sen 2004">{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Colleen Taylor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YIyV_5wrplMC |title=Food Culture in India |publisher=[Greenwood Publishing Group](/source/Greenwood_Publishing_Group) |year=2004 |isbn=0-313-32487-5 |pages=76}}</ref> In modern [Bangladeshi cuisine](/source/Bangladeshi_cuisine), some cooks use a thick [evaporated milk](/source/evaporated_milk) in place of yoghurt.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Banerji |first=Chitrita |title=Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals |publisher=Aleph Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-93-86021-59-5 |location=New Delhi |chapter=Common Ways of Cooking Bengali Food}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180>
File:Chicken White Qorma (Korma).JPG|A chicken korma 
File:Potol ( pointed gourd) Korma.jpg|[Potol](/source/Potol) (pointed gourd) korma
</gallery>

== Serving ==

Korma is eaten in various contexts in the modern Indian subcontinent. In banquets for Muslim weddings, a mutton korma is often eaten, and in the traditional ''[wazwan](/source/wazwan)'', a banquet produced by Hindu and Muslim cooks for a range of celebrations, lamb and chicken kormas are common elements. Korma is also a common dish in ''tora'', dishes sent to another's home in a practice originating in restrictions on women's presentation to members outside the home.<ref name="Sen 2015">{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Colleen Taylor |author-link=Colleen Taylor Sen |title=Feasts and Fasts: A history of food in India |publisher=[Reaktion Books](/source/Reaktion_Books) |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-78023-352-9 |pages=154, 203, 206}}</ref> Korma is among the most popular dishes in Pakistan, where it is commonly eaten at lunch, and at feasts that end days of fasts during Ramadan.<ref name="Sen 2011">{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Colleen Taylor |author-link=Colleen Taylor Sen |title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia |publisher=[Greenwood Publishing Group](/source/Greenwood_Publishing_Group) |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-313-37627-6 |editor=Ken Albala |volume=3 |pages=198, 200}}</ref>

A common food eaten with the dish is [sheermal](/source/sheermal), a flatbread flavoured with saffron.<ref name="Sen 2015" /> In [Awadh](/source/Awadh), a historical region of Northern India now corresponding with [Uttar Pradesh](/source/Uttar_Pradesh), [silver leaf (''vark'')](/source/Vark) is a common garnish, and [Pushpesh Pant](/source/Pushpesh_Pant) writes that "no korma or pulao can be served without it".<ref name=":1" /> In areas of [New Delhi](/source/New_Delhi), [jaggery](/source/jaggery) is often served with korma in winter months, based on the belief that it can help "the ghee go down".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Timms |first=Pamela |title=Korma, Kheer and Kismet: five seasons in Old Delhi |publisher=Aleph |year=2014 |isbn=978-9-38227714-9 |location=New Delhi |chapter=11: God's Own Street Food}}</ref>

== Variations ==

=== Navratan korma ===

thumb|upright=0.9|''Navratan korma''

Navratan korma is a vegetarian korma made with vegetables and either [paneer](/source/paneer) (an Indian cheese) or nuts – or sometimes both. ''Navratan'' means "nine gems", and it is common for the recipe to include nine different vegetables.<ref>{{cite web |last=Verma Sarkar |first=Petrina |title=Navratan Korma – Nine-gem Curry |publisher=[about.com](/source/about.com) |url=http://indianfood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/navratankorma.htm |access-date=18 June 2010 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100704/http://indianfood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/navratankorma.htm |url-status=dead |date=16 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=James |author-link=James Martin (chef) |title=Navratan Korma (Nine-Jewel Korma) and Sada Pulao (Cashew Nut and Raisin Bengali Pulao) |url=https://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/recipes/navratan-korma-and-sada-pulao/ |publisher=James Martin |access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref>

=== In Indonesia ===

[In Indonesia](/source/Indonesian_cuisine), korma or 'gulai kurma' is traditionally cooked with [coconut milk](/source/coconut_milk) instead of yoghurt, and it can use the sour flavouring [tamarind](/source/tamarind) to replace the acidity of yoghurt. The dish fuses Indian cooking with both Arabic and [Minang cuisine](/source/Minang_cuisine). The word ''kurma'' means "[date](/source/Date_palm)" in Malay/Indonesian, but the dish does not contain dates.<ref>{{cite news |last=Arofani |first=Prila  |date=29 January 2020 |title=Cara Membuat Ayam Kurma yang Gampang, Endeus Banget! |url=https://www.idntimes.com/food/recipe/prila-arofani/resep-membuat-ayam-kurma/1 |work=[IDN Times](/source/IDN_Times) |language=id |trans-title=how to make an easy Chicken Kurma, very tasty! |access-date=10 December 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130013138/https://www.idntimes.com/food/recipe/prila-arofani/resep-membuat-ayam-kurma/1 |archive-date=30 November 2022}}</ref><!-- The duck curry ''bebek gulai kurma'' however does include dates; it is a popular dish for the Muslim festival of [Eid al-Fitr](/source/Eid_al-Fitr) (called ''Lebara'' in Indonesia).<ref name="Prastowo 2024">{{cite journal |last1=Prastowo |first1=Indro |last2=Moro |first2=Hendro Kusumo Eko Prasetyo |last3=Nurusman |first3=Arief Abdillah |last4=Khoirunnisa |first4=Rikha Muftia |last5=Dewi |first5=Cyntia |last6=Sari |first6=Wahyu Wido |last7=Yunita |first7=Ika Surya |title=Diversity of Indonesian Lebaran dishes: from history to recent business perspectives |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |volume=11 |issue=1 |date=5 December 2024 |doi=10.1186/s42779-024-00257-z |doi-access=free}}</ref>-->

=== In the United Kingdom ===

{{further|Curry in the United Kingdom}}

[In the United Kingdom](/source/Curry_in_the_United_Kingdom), a typical korma as served in [curry](/source/curry) houses is a mildly spiced dish with a thick sauce. It often features [almond](/source/almond)s, [cashew](/source/cashew)s or other nuts, and [coconut](/source/coconut)<!--attention needed-->.<ref name="BBC Ultimate Guide">{{cite web |title=From balti to bhuna: the ultimate guide to curry |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3jPY8xvk41DrT93Lw4XPk1w/from-balti-to-bhuna-the-ultimate-guide-to-curry |publisher=[BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4) |access-date=2 November 2025}}</ref> In the early 21st century, chicken korma has repeatedly been cited as amongst the most popular curries in the UK.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8813481/Korma-is-nations-favourite-curry-as-Brits-shun-spicy-tastes.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8813481/Korma-is-nations-favourite-curry-as-Brits-shun-spicy-tastes.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Korma is nation's favourite curry as Brits shun spicy tastes | newspaper=[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph) | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=22 February 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=dmirror>{{cite news |last=Hayward |first=Stephen |title=Chicken tikka masala no longer Britain's favourite curry – here's the new titleholder |newspaper=[Daily Mirror](/source/Daily_Mirror) |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/chicken-tikka-masala-no-longer-11304493.amp |date=7 October 2017 |access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Edwards |first=Lauren |date=7 October 2024 |title=Tikka masala reigns as Britain's top curry choice, with many avoiding hotter alternatives |url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/uk-favourite-curry-tikka-tendendo-30090926 |access-date=13 December 2025 |work=[BerkshireLive](/source/Reading_Post)}}</ref> The celebrity cook [Jamie Oliver](/source/Jamie_Oliver) uses korma [curry paste](/source/curry_paste) and [coconut milk](/source/coconut_milk) in his recipes for quickly-prepared fish curry and spiced prawn soup.<ref>{{cite book |last=Oliver |first=Jamie |author-link=Jamie Oliver |title=5 Ingredients-Quick & Easy Food: The UK edition |publisher=[Penguin Books](/source/Penguin_Books) 2017 |chapter=So Easy Fish Curry; Speedy Spiced Prawn Soup}}</ref>

=== In the United States ===

A dish called chicken korma was popularly introduced to the United States with the 1954 publication of [Myra Waldo](/source/Myra_Waldo)'s ''Round-the-World Cookbook''. Waldo modified a dish of marinated chicken and sauteed chicken that was then popular in America by adding black pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chilli powder blend, or just [curry powder](/source/curry_powder). Though it was unlike the korma eaten in India, it was perceived as exotic, as many of these spices had only just been introduced to the American diet.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bender |first=Daniel E |title=The Food Adventurers: How around-the-world travel changed the way we eat |publisher=[Reaktion Books](/source/Reaktion_Books) |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-78914-757-5 |location=London |pages=229–230}}</ref>{{-}}

== References ==

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Curry in the United Kingdom}}
{{Indian Dishes}}
{{Pakistani dishes}}

Category:Bengali curries
Category:Indian curries
Category:Mughlai cuisine
Category:Muhajir cuisine
Category:Pakistani curries
Category:Pakistani chicken dishes
Category:Telangana cuisine
Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine
Category:Foods containing coconut
Category:Nut dishes
Category:Afghan cuisine
Category:Anglo-Indian cuisine
Category:Bangladeshi cuisine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Korma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korma) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korma?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.