Be careful with this one, it can become addicting quickly.
Cottontail Korma
Korma is an Indian dish dating back to the sixteenth century. Loosely translated from its Turkish origin, the word means “cooked meat.” Every time I’ve had korma, it’s either been made with chicken or goat. In most cases, it’ll be a slowly cooked meat mixed with various spices, like all Indian food, and then cooked down in some type of yogurt mixture. Ultimately, it’ll be thickened and served over some type of rice and naan. I prefer the chicken version and knowing that cottontail makes an excellent chicken substitute (and since I had plenty of it available) I set out to make the perfect cottontail korma. True to most Indian cuisine, you can spice this one as light or as aggressively as you’d like. To get the correct flavor, it’s very important that you seek out the correct Indian spices to make this dish. If you don’t have an Indian market nearby, Amazon can be a great resource. Enjoy!
This particular recipe will require a bit of work to be done in advance. The first item which should be done in advance is to make the ginger/garlic masala. Next, you will need to prepare your chicken and let it marinade for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator. I prefer to let it marinade overnight.
Ginger/Garlic Masala Recipe:
Ingredients for Ginger/Garlic Masala
Required Ingredients:
§ 1 cup garlic cloves peeled
§ 1 cup peeled ginger chopped
§ 3 green chilies
§ 1/4 teaspoon pickling salt
Method:
1. Place garlic, ginger, green chilies and salt in a chopper. Chop till masala is a fine paste.
2. Fill small sealed containers with masala and store in the freezer.
***Frozen Masalas will stay fresh in the freezer for up to a year***
Cottontail Korma Recipe:
Tough to beat cottontail...
Required Ingredients:
§ 3 teaspoons of ginger/garlic masala
§ 2 teaspoons of garam masala
§ 2 teaspoons of Dhana Jeera
§ 1 teaspoon of red chile powder (make sure to find the Indian variety, NOT the type used to make chili with beans)
§ 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
§ 1 teaspoon of salt
§ 6 tablespoons of olive oil
§ 2 broken down rabbits, deboned, cut into cubes
§ 2 cups of plain yogurt
§ 1 large onion chopped
Chopped about like this.
§ 1/2 cup of coconut milk
§ 1/2 cup of ground almonds
§ 2 teaspoon of sugar
§ 1/2 cup of water
§ Cayenne pepper to taste/heat
Marinade:
1. Marinade cubed chicken with the ginger/garlic masala and yogurt 4-6 hours
This is gonna be good...
Ready for the refrigerator. 4-6 hours; but, the author prefers to let it sit overnight.
Method:
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add garam masala, Dhana Jeera, red chile powder, turmeric powder and salt.
It wouldn't be Indian cuisine without excellent spices!
Let the spices cook in the oil for a bit to really infuse the flavor into the oil.
I wish I had a way to share this smell with you!
3. Sauté chopped onions until transparent. Add marinated chicken. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Getting close...
4. Add coconut milk and ground almonds, stir well. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Try to refrain from eating any at this point!
5. Add sugar and water. Stir. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Cayenne pepper can be added at this step if you desire – there will be no heat in this dish without the addition of pepper.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro (optional)
Serve over a bed of steamed jasmine rice or basmati rice.
