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{{distinguish|text=[[Karma, Karma District{{!}}Karma]], a town in Belarus also spelled Korma, or [[karma]]}}
{{Short description|Type of curry}}
{{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 
| country          = [[Mughal Empire]] 
| region           = {{IND}}<br>{{PAK}}<br>{{BGD}}<br>{{IRN}}<br>{{AFG}}
| national_cuisine = [[Mughal cuisine]]
| creator          = 
| served           = Hot 
| main_ingredient  = [[meat]], [[yogurt]]
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}
'''Korma''', '''kurma''', '''qorma''' or '''qurma''' ({{Langx|ur|قورمہ}}; {{Langx|hi|क़ोरमा}}; {{Langx|bn|কোরমা}}; {{Langx|fa| قرمه}}; {{Langx|ks| قۄرمہٕ}}) is a [[curry]] dish originating in the [[Indian subcontinent]] influenced by [[Mughlai cuisine]], versions of which later were modified to [[Anglo-Indian]] and then to [[Curry in the United Kingdom|British tastes]]. It consists of meat or vegetables [[Braising|braised]] with [[yogurt]], water or stock, and spices to produce a thick sauce or [[gravy]].<ref name=singhp24/>

==Etymology==

The English name is an anglicisation of the [[Hindustani language|Hindi-Urdu]] ''qormā'' (क़ोरमा, قورمہ), meaning "[[braising|braise]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of Korma |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/korma |website=[[Merriam-Webster]] |language=en |date=2022 |quote=Hindi & Urdu qormā, of Turkic origin; akin to Turkish kavurma fried meat, from kavur- to fry, roast}}</ref><ref name=perry254>Perry, C. "Korma, Kavurma, Ghormeh: A family, or not so much?" in Hosking (ed.) ''Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009'', p.&nbsp;254</ref> It refers to the cooking technique used in the dish.<ref name="singhp24">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Dharamjit |title=Indian Cookery |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |year=1973 |isbn=978-0140461411 |pages=24–26}}</ref><ref name=mw>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/korma "korma"], Merriam-Webster, accessed 30-01-18</ref> All these words, and the names of dishes such as the [[Iran]]ian [[ghormeh sabzi|ghormeh]] ({{langx|fa|قورمه}}), [[Turkish cuisine|Turk]]ish [[Kavurma]] and the [[Azerbaijan]]i [[qovurma]] or ''kavarma'', are ultimately derived from a [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] word ''qawirma'', meaning "[a] fried thing".<ref name=perry254/> The Indian korma is, however, possibly unrelated in a culinary sense to the modern Turkish [[kavurma]] or to some other dishes using the same root word, as they use widely varying techniques and ingredients.<ref name=perry256>Perry (2009), p.&nbsp;256</ref>

==History==

Korma has its roots in the [[Mughlai cuisine]]<ref name=times2773345>{{cite news |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2008 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/anjum_anand/article2773345.ece |first=Anjum |last=Anand |date=30 October 2007 |title=My Chicken Korma |newspaper=[[The Times]] Online |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]]. A characteristic [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] dish, it can be traced back to the 16th century and to the Mughal expansion into South Asia. Kormas were often prepared in the Mughal court kitchens, such as the famous white korma, perhaps garnished with ''[[vark]]'', which was said to have been served to [[Shah Jahan]] and his guests at the inauguration of the [[Taj Mahal]].<ref name=chapman26>Chapman, Pat. ''India: Food and Cooking'', New Holland, 2009, p. 26</ref>

Indian cooks in the 19th century prepared curries for their British masters simplified and adjusted to [[Anglo-Indian cuisine|Anglo-Indian taste]]. A ''quarama'' from [[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 it 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]]) |publisher=[[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==

[[File:Chicken White Qorma (Korma).JPG|thumb|A chicken korma dish]]

[[File:Potol ( pointed gourd) Korma.jpg|thumb|[[Potol]] (pointed gourd) korma]]

The korma style is similar to other [[braising]] techniques in that the meat or vegetable is first cooked briskly, or seared, using high heat, traditionally with [[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]]''.
Korma is made using a technique called ''[[chaunk|bagar]]''. 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"/>

There is a wide variation between individual korma and other [[curry]] recipes. Chilli and ginger are often used, but the precise method of preparation results in widely different flavours. [[Cinnamomum tamala|Indian bay leaves]] or dried [[coconut]] may be added, the latter being a predominantly [[South Indian]] flavouring.

==Variations==

===In the United Kingdom===

[[Curry in the United Kingdom|In the United Kingdom]], a typical korma as served in [[curry]] houses is a mildly spiced dish with a thick sauce. It often features [[almond]]s, [[cashew]]s or other nuts, and coconut or coconut milk. In the 21st century, chicken korma has several times been cited as the most popular curry in the UK, replacing [[chicken tikka masala]] in surveys of public eating habits.<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=Daily Telegraph | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=22 February 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=dmirror>"[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/chicken-tikka-masala-no-longer-11304493.amp Chicken tikka masala no longer Britain's favourite curry – here's the new titleholder]", ''Daily Mirror'', 7 October 2017</ref>

===Navratan korma===

[[File:Navratan Korma (Mughal Kitchen).JPG|thumb|Navratan korma (Mughal kitchen)]]

Navratan korma is a vegetarian korma made with vegetables and either [[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 |url=http://indianfood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/navratankorma.htm |title=Navratan Korma – Nine-gem Curry |publisher=about.com |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 }}</ref>

=== In Malaysia ===

In Malaysia, korma or 'gulai kurma' is traditionally cooked with coconut milk instead of yoghurt among the [[Malaysian Malays|Malays]], as dairy products do not feature heavily in Malay cuisine. Meats used for kurma include chicken, mutton, beef, and deer. It also often contains more vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes, though this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Some recipes include [[tamarind]] as the souring agent, in place of the natural acidity of yoghurt.<ref>[https://resepichenom.com/resepi/ayam-masak-kurma/show Resepi Ayam Masak Kurma Che Nom]. Retrieved 3 April 2024</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]]
[[Category:Pakistani cuisine]]