Name: Afghan-style chicken korma with dried sour plums
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Afghan
Ingredients: chana dhal; dried sour plums or 100g dried sour cherries; sunflower oil; 8 chicken bone-in pieces (use thighs if you like), skin removed; onion finely chopped; ginger peeled and finely chopped; garlic cloves finely chopped; ground turmeric; tomatoes chopped; green chillies halved, deseeded and finely sliced; Greek yogurt; chicken stock (or use water); red chilli finely sliced; coriander; lime wedges; flatbreads or cooked rice

Afghan-style chicken korma with dried sour plums served with rice

chana dhal
dried sour plums
or 100g dried sour cherries
sunflower oil
8 chicken
bone-in pieces (use thighs if you like), skin removed
onion
finely chopped
ginger
peeled and finely chopped
garlic cloves
finely chopped
ground turmeric
tomatoes
chopped
green chillies
halved, deseeded and finely sliced
Greek yogurt
chicken stock
(or use water)

To serve

red chilli
finely sliced
coriander
lime
wedges
flatbreads
or cooked rice

Method

step 1
Put the chana dhal in a bowl, cover with water and leave to soak for 3 hrs. Meanwhile, put the dried plums or cherries in a second bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak for 1 hr.
step 2
Heat the oil in a deep 30cm frying pan, and brown the chicken pieces in batches, seasoning as you go. Transfer the browned chicken to a bowl as you cook.
step 3
Add the onions to the pan and fry over a medium-low heat for 8-10 mins until soft and pale gold. This takes a bit of time. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for another 3 mins, then add the turmeric. Stir everything together until the spices are fragrant.
step 4
Drain the chana dhal and tip into the pan along with the tomatoes and chillies. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have collapsed slightly. Stir in the yogurt, stock and some more seasoning. Return the chicken pieces and any resting juices to the pan, then drain the plums and mix these in. Bring everything to just under the boil (it’s important that the mixture doesn’t fully boil, or the yogurt will curdle), then turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook for about 15 mins, then remove the lid and cook for 15-20 mins more until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has thickened.
step 5
Scatter over the sliced chillies and coriander, then serve with lemon or lime wedges, and flatbreads or rice.