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Qorma-e-lawand
قورمه لاوند (qorma-e lawand): Kabul's mild chicken stew in a turmeric-yellow yogurt and fresh coriander sauce
Lawand is the gentle member of the Kabul qorma family, the one cooked for children, for guests who don't eat chilli and for anyone recovering from illness: pieces of chicken simmered with onion, garlic and turmeric, then folded into a creamy yogurt sauce thick with chopped fresh coriander. The sauce is pale gold, tangy and smooth, and it is always served with rice, usually chalow or soft bata, to soak it up. Lamb can be used instead; simmer it for about 70 minutes before the yogurt goes in. Boiling the sauce once the yogurt is added makes it curdle into grainy specks, which is why it must only shiver gently. Chef's tip: beat a teaspoon of cornflour into the yogurt first; it stabilises it so the sauce stays silky.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 10 ½ oz full-fat plain yogurtat room temperature
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide lidded pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions for 7–8 minutes until soft and golden but not dark.
8 minStep 2: Add 2 ¼ lb skinless chicken thighs on the bone and fry for 5–6 minutes, turning, until it looks white on all sides.
6 minStep 3: Stir in 4 cloves garlic, 2 cm piece fresh ginger, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper and 1 ¼ tsp salt for 1 minute.
1 minStep 4: Add 1 cup water, cover and simmer over a low heat for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and the thickest piece reaches 165°F by the bone.
25 minStep 5: Beat 10 ½ oz full-fat plain yogurt with 1 tsp cornflour until smooth, then beat in 2 ladles of the hot cooking liquid.
Step 6: Turn the heat to very low, stir the yogurt into the pan with 2 green chillies and cook, uncovered, for 6–8 minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce is thick and creamy; don't let it boil.
8 minStep 7: Stir in most of 1 ⅜ oz fresh coriander, scatter the rest on top and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does qorma-e-lawand take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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