I had this dish in Bangladesh and thought it was exquisite. It seemed to have come straight from the palaces of seventeenth-century Moghul rulers. It was a true korma, a stew cooked in yogurt, mild but exquisitely seasoned, and without any brown, yellow, or red spices to mar its pallor. There were some New World sliced green chilies scattered over the top, but they seemed a later addition. I have put them in—but even without them, the flavors are beyond compare. Of course, it helps to get a good-quality organic chicken. Have your butcher skin it and cut it into small serving pieces for you. In Bangladesh, this chicken was cooked in ghee (clarified butter, page 286). I generally cook in oil. I like to use a good sour yogurt here, such as the acidophilus yogurt I get from the health-food store. If you cannot get that, just add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the ordinary supermarket yogurt. Serve this with rice or flatbreads or even in a Western way with potatoes and a vegetable.

Ingredients

　　4 tablespoons olive or canola oil or ghee

　　Three 2-inch cinnamon sticks

　　3 bay leaves

　　10 cardamom pods

　　1 medium onion, sliced into fine half rings

　　One 3 3/4-pound chicken, skinned and cut into small serving pieces (breast into 6 pieces, each leg into 2 pieces, wings into 3 pieces, back into 3 pieces, neck into 2 pieces)

　　1/2 medium onion, chopped very finely

　　3 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger (use a fine microplane)

　　6 cloves garlic, crushed to a pulp with a garlic press

　　1/2 cup acidophilus yogurt, or plain yogurt plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, beaten until smooth

　　1 1/4 teaspoons salt

　　1–2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot green chilies

　　Put the oil into a large sauté pan or a large, deep frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is really hot, put in the cinnamon, bay leaves, and cardamom. Stir for 10 seconds as the spices sizzle. Add the sliced onions. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes or until the onions brown a bit. Add the chicken pieces. Stir and cook 5–6 minutes or until the chicken pieces brown lightly. Add the chopped onions, the ginger, and the garlic. Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Add the yogurt and salt. Stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chilies and 3 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer very gently for another 10–15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.