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      Title: Korma (Braising Indian Style)
 Categories: Info, Indian, Main dish
      Yield: 1 text file
 
           Korma or Braising
 
  "Korma is meat or vegetables braised with water or stock, yoghurt or
  cream (sometimes all) to produce a rich substantial dish. There are
  many styles of korma each with a different taste or texture. some are
  cooked until a thick sauce is formed; in others the liquid is reduced
  to a glaze, or the sauce reduced to delicious flaky crust. The korma
  is made with finest quality young meat only.

  Braising uses a minimum of cooking liquor which is absorbed back
  into the meat together with all the savoury juices it has first
  extracted. True braising  is done on a very slow fire, with charcoal
  on the lid. If this is not possible,  food can be braised on top of
  the stove or started on top of the stove and later transferred to the
  oven. Braising is carried out in several stages and these are
  detailed below.

  The aromatics in braising are used in two or three stages also. The
  first are mixed into the marinade, the second added halfway through
  cooking and the third towards the end.

  Use your heaviest vessel, with a well fitting lid; it should be
  just large enough to hold the meat comfortably. Choose best quality
  meat, not too young, but certainly not old or stewing meat. Marinate
  the meat according to your recipe.  In some cases the marinade is
  drained from the meat and cooked separately with the aromatics to a
  thick paste, the marinade being added gradually to the meat as it
  dries. In both cases the meat is cooked and stirred over very high
  heat to drive the flavours inside. When all the marinade has dried,
  the meat is given a final brisk crisping in clarified butter. After
  searing, the meat is usually moistened a few times by sprinkling it
  with a liquid - stock, water or an infusion - about a tablespoon at a
  time, which is allowed to dry, the meat being stirred before the next
  sprinkling is added. Only experience will teach you how long the
  moistenings will take to dry. After about 15 minutes of careful
  attention, moisten finally, then seal the pot with a ribbon of dough,
  or by covering with a sheet of foil or greaseproof paper before
  putting on the lid.

  There are two methods of finishing braised meats. the dish is
  either 'glazed' quite dry of gravy or sauce, or served moist. To
  glaze, remove lid and stir meat continuously over a fierce heat until
  the juices form a savoury gelatinous coating. If the korma is to be
  served moist, the meat is given a delicate steaming - called a 'dum'
  ~ for 10-30 minutes in a low oven. Indian cooks put charcoal on the
  lid and place the casserole over the lowest possible heat.

  When braising a large piece of meat, the procedure is slightly
  different. Once well seared the meat is able to withstand brief
  periods of boiling. "The 'bhogar'. To make sure the meat is basted
  while cooking in a covered casserole, lift out the vessel and shake
  it well. The liquor will jump and drench the meat, releasing steam at
  the same time. This shaking is very important; it is a quick
  agitation, moving the pan sideways and downwards. This technique
  serves three purposes: it releases aromatic steam, bastes the meat
  and helps complete the cooking.

  In some forms of braising a fair quantity of cooking liquor _is_
  used, but always of a quantity that can be absorbed into the meat
  at the end of the cooking. The meat is removed and the sauce or
  liquor that has formed during cooking given a bhogar as follows:
  clarified butter is heated with a selected aromatic and the liquor
  is thrown in and mixed. It is reduced, covered, to the right
  consistency then added to the meat. The vessel containing meat and
  sauce is covered, the heat is rasied very high and another bhogar
  is given. The heat is reduced and the cooking completed with a
  'dum' to allow the ingredients to marry. "In some braisings or
  kormas, the meat is braised as usual, but the sauce is cooked by
  bhogar in a separate vessel. Meat and sauce are joined at a later
  stage by a third bhogar (clarified butter heated with fresh
  aromatics and the food mixed in). The differences in these
  processes will appear clearly when recipes are actually in use.
  The true bhogar blends flavours superbly, but is only possible if
  the casserole is placed in the oven or the lid charcoaled.

  Braising white meat needs even more care than braising red or dark
  meats. Red meats do not spoil when overcooked, but white meats are
  ruined. First lightly brown (gild) white meat in clarified butter, or
  boil in cream, yoghurt or a mixture of both or double broth, reducing
  to a glaze, then frying in clarified butter. Add liquor in very small
  quantities, and see that it is quite dry before you add more. Shake
  frequently to keep the meat basted and cook until it begins to stick
  a little to the bottom of the pan. Test the meat occasionally with a
  thin skewer. White meat is not cooked for long enough to produce its
  own gelatine, so the use of double broth or some marinade with a high
  fat content is recommended."

  Recipe by Dharamjit Singh "Indian Cookery"

  Posted by: Ian Hoare

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