Bombay House Style Chicken Coconut Kurma
10 Dec 2012
*UPDATE: A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION HAS BEEN ADDED TO MY NEW BLOG AT NORTH AND MOUTH!*
A little under a year ago, I posted a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala which has probably been my most popular recipe to date. In England, Chicken Tikka Masala is considered by a lot of people to be our “national dish” because it’s that popular, but another favorite is the Chicken Coconut Korma, which is sweeter and more mild. I worked as a waitress at an Indian restaurant before I came out to Provo for uni, and whenever someone didn’t order the Tikka Masala, it would always be the Korma. Incidentally whenever my husband and I ate out at the Bombay house in Provo, he’d always order the Tikka Masala, and I would always order the “Kurma”… just like the couples in England! Of all the coconut korma’s I have tried in the past, the Bombay House version was by FAR the best… so of course I had to learn how to make it.
It’s taken me a whole year, and several failed attempts to finally get this recipe JUST RIGHT. It’s not their original recipe, but I promise it’s SO close to it, that you will love it just as much! P.S> Why isn’t there a Bombay House Cookbook out there yet? Anyone?!
Ingredients:
{for the marinade}
4 chicken breasts
1 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ceyenne/red pepper
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
{for the sauce}
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
3 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne/red pepper (for medium, no cayenne for mild, 1-2 tsp for hot)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15oz (regular size) can coconut milk
4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
cashew nuts (about 3/4 cup)
golden raisins (about 1/2 cup)
cilantro and white rice to serve
Directions:
Cut the chicken into 1″ pieces. Place in a ziploc bag with all the other marinade ingredients and set in the fridge until ready to use (anywhere from 2 hours-24 hours).
In a pan over medium high heat, add a little olive oil and cook the chicken in two batches for 4-5 minutes on either side until no longer pink in the center.
Melt the butter in a high-sided pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute.
Add the spices: ginger, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala, salt, and coriander. Stir for 1 minute.
Stir in tomatoes, coconut milk, heavy whipping cream and golden raisins. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. (PS you can add the cashews at this point, but they will get soft instead of crunchy). 
Add the cashews right at the end, taste and season according to taste.
Garnish with cilantro, cashews and golden raisins. Serve with white rice and garlic naan.
I hope you all love this recipe as much as the chicken tikka masala! f not more… 
I am SO interested to hear how you like it, so be sure to keep me posted!
Thanks!
<3 Sarah
Dec 16, 2012 @ 20:12:48
I absolutely love your chicken tikka masala recipe! Do you think I could use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce for this dish? I don’t love the textured of chopped tomatoes. Not sure if that would work as well. I’ll be trying it this week and will let you know how it goes!
Dec 18, 2012 @ 07:30:14
The recipe calls for canned tomato sauce… but you could use crushed tomatoes instead–i’m pretty sure the results would turn out really similar!
Mar 19, 2013 @ 12:05:23
Wait, what is Theresa talking about? You have a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe Also?! Please link to that recipe. My husband loves that, while I love Korma. Your recipe here works amazingly well. I would like to try your Masala too.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 22:40:50
Sophia, if you liked the kurma recipe you will LOVE this one!
Dec 16, 2012 @ 20:13:17
I absolutely love your chicken tikka masala recipe! Do you think I could use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce for this dish? I don’t love the texture of chopped tomatoes. Not sure if that would work as well. I’ll be trying it this week and will let you know how it goes!
Jan 27, 2013 @ 16:41:07
Just made this for dinner. AMAZING.
Feb 01, 2013 @ 08:55:13
Thanks Hayley!
Feb 05, 2013 @ 07:04:11
THANK YOU! I was so excited to find your tikka masala recipe (my husband’s favorite), but wishing I could find a Bombay House recipe for MY favorite–coconut kurma! My life is complete.
Feb 07, 2013 @ 14:09:14
You’re so welcome!!! I’m glad i’m not the only one who loves the coconut Kurma! My husband tried the chicken tikka masala recipe at the bombay house and loved it so much he would never even try the kurma! So when I made it for him (and he had no choice) he actually discovered how delicious this recipe was too! I’m glad someone else has! Thanks Kimber
Feb 12, 2013 @ 12:26:39
Delicious! Thank you! I don’t like chunks so I just ended up blending the sauce before adding the chicken.
Feb 22, 2013 @ 07:44:19
That sounds yummy! Thanks Ann.
Mar 09, 2013 @ 14:43:00
First, nicely polished! Wish I had the time, skill and know-how. Oh well, I shouldn’t envy.
My question concerns sauce. Your khurma and masala aren’t super saucy (an observation not a criticism). Should you do a little more sauce, and the question is relevant here anyway, I don’t see you using anything (Bosch hand-held, food processor, blender) to reduce the grainy texture of these two dishes. Is this a concern for you?
On bread… As you probably know, our grocers here don’t offer naan. If you post any kind of roti on your site, I’d like to try it. I have NOT had the good pleasure of working in a restaurant!
Thanks,
Russ
P.S. I alternate between Bombay House and India Palace because I consider both Daniel and Amrit friends.
Apr 22, 2013 @ 20:38:07
I don’t know you and this is the first time I’ve stumbled across your blog, but I made this recipe and it blew my mind, as well as my wife’s. This is going in to the recipe book and will be kept in a place for easy, frequent access. Thank you for posting this. Now, I need to go try that Chicken Tikka Masala…
Jun 20, 2013 @ 22:06:19
Thanks! I am excited to try this! I grew up in Provo and love Bombay (also lived in England awhile and loved all the Indian food there) but where we live we don’t even have an Indian restaurant! to “Russ”- who probably won’t even see this comment, Nann is relatively easy to find in the states. Target sells it, and even many wal-marts sell it… thanks again!
Jul 17, 2013 @ 16:11:43
So excited to find this-this is what I order everytime at Bombay House but now I live in Washington and miss it so much! I do have one question-do you drain the tomatoes or not?
Jul 30, 2013 @ 21:55:21
Sarah, all I can say is Wow! Friends took me to an Indian restaurant and I sampled chicken korma for the first time. It was love at first bite. I followed your recipe but blended the sauce, adding a little more coconut milk and cream. Your recipe is spot on to what I had in the restaurant. Thank you so much for sharing it. My tradition is that a gift calls for a gift. I will send you a recipe for a Chipotle Hummus with roasted red bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. It’s good, and the recipe removes the digestive “woes” of the garbanzos. ¡Buen Provecho!
Aug 01, 2013 @ 16:59:32
Jim, I got your wonderful recipe, and can’t wait to try it! It’s comments like these, and people like you that make blogging so worthwhile and so much fun for me, so thank you! Next time I make chicken kurma, I am going to make it the way you suggested and see if I like it better! P.S. If you like this recipe, you have to try the chicken tikka masala next ok!?
Aug 01, 2013 @ 17:11:35
Thanks, Sarah, I will definitely try the tikka masala next. Sounds delicious. By the way, when blending the sauce in the kurma, I used a stick (immersion) blender in the pan which is much easier than trying to move things to a regular blender. OH, and I found a typo in the chipotle recipe — it’s a 1/4 CUP of lemon juice, not tbsp. It didn’t translate when I moved it from the Paprika software. Sorry!
Aug 12, 2013 @ 21:09:50
I just realized the title of your blog! So you live in Mattawa! I live in Quincy, small world!
Aug 12, 2013 @ 21:27:06
Yes it is!! That’s awesome!
Aug 18, 2013 @ 13:45:58
YOU….. I like your style. This is a QUALITY recipe. Thank you.
Aug 26, 2013 @ 15:27:34
I’ve started making this recipe for our dinner tonight, and I’m excited.
I’m wondering, do you make your own naan, and if so, what’s your recipe?
Aug 28, 2013 @ 19:23:23
Hey,
So I frequently food blogs, daily, search recipes, Pinterest etc, and I must say, this is my first response. And I’ve been doing this for a few years. The korma was delicious. I did experience a bit more chicken than sauce, but that’s probably because my chicken were on the larger size. Also, I personally prefer diced tomatoes, I think its more authentic that way, and I wouldn’t necessarily blend the sauce. Authentic Indian dishes tend to be more ‘chunky’. The only changes I made was that I double the spice content for the marinate, since I knew as I diced the chicken, I had more than I should. I also could have used a tiny bit more spice in the sauce, so I’d probably double the spices. Spices are personal preference, though your proportions and types are spot on. I also marinated the chicken in the sauce a bit after I simmered it. However, I think you really got the coconut with spice, with the nut of the cashews spot on. I’ll be making the tika masala next week. Just wanted to say, the flavor mix was excellent, and authentic. Not that it matters, but I’m Indian, and my mom made Indian food daily when I was growing up.
Sep 08, 2013 @ 14:28:49
OK–so today is the day to try the Korma–loved your Tika Masala. I am also trying a recipe for Naan and if it works out well, I will forward to you. Our daughter lives north of Seattle and we live in Montana, so we frequently drive through Cle Elum on the way to visit her. Next time I will think of you.
*Note–I love the sound of quiet in the country. Lived in Seattle for 20+years and hated the politics, the drama, the egos, etc. We are home now and I am happy. I understand how a young person would feel isolated out there–but, you are becoming a much better person than many your age who live in the big city! YOU are doing due diligence every day ! Good for You! When you need a city fix demand a long weekend with DH. Otherwise just know how lucky you are it is 2013 and not 1943 or such. YOU have the internet–I love the internet! New skills, new insights, new things to see and think about, new ways of doing almost anything and especially new recipes and new friends. Also, we were in the education world for 30 years–you are so right to be doing homeschooling.
Keep up the good work–you are doing well.
Sep 13, 2013 @ 18:54:19
I Love the Bombay House and this totally lived up to it…. thank so much for for this.
Oct 08, 2013 @ 21:27:33
I’m using your recipe as the basis for my own vegan version of chicken korma. Picking up all the ingredients tomorrow and then we’ll see. Thanks for the great starting point.
Oct 29, 2013 @ 21:38:13
I absolutely love this at the bombay house, and i was so ecstatic to find this recipe…it is spot on. It was so delicious. It has become my new favorite recipe. Thank you so much for posting.
Nov 04, 2013 @ 20:23:28
Thank you Sherri! I am so glad you like it!
Nov 18, 2013 @ 23:32:04
Fantastic recipe. I’ve been craving Bombay House’s food for months, but I’m about 700 miles away so driving there is out of the question. You live in Mattawa Washington? I have an ex roommate from BYU who is from there. He’s on a lds mission in San Antonio, TX right now though. Never thought I’d hear of another person from that small town!
Anyway, the korma was great. I substituted the chicken with lamb (I liked their lamb korma more) and it turned out just like I remembered. Thank you!
Nov 19, 2013 @ 08:49:51
Wow! It is such a small world. I know who your Ex-roommie is!! Thanks so much for your kind comment, i’m so glad you loved the recipe. You’ll have to try the chicken tikka masala next! And I am with you on the lamb… we eat a lot of it in England, esp in Indian food, and I miss it. It’s just impossible to find out here!
Jan 03, 2014 @ 08:45:53
Made this tonight with potatoes, cauliflower and peas! I doubled the recipe and subbed in one more can of coconut cream for the heavy cream. Made the sauce, reduced it slightly – then blended about 3/4 of it (so my littles wouldn’t be picky about the onions). Then I simmered my veggies in the sauce until they were tender. SO good! Can’t wait to try it next time with chicken! Thank you for a great recipe!
Jan 26, 2014 @ 21:58:59
That sounds amazing, and SO much healthier too! Thanks Leisha
Jan 25, 2014 @ 14:41:02
Wow. I feel so lucky to have happened upon this recipe. To think my husband had to drag me into India Palace just 5 years ago… I became so addicted to the stuff I had to start making it on my own or go broke. I started about a year ago and have been searching for a Korma recipe since then! I was never satisfied until now. I had some leftover butter chicken from the other night and decided to try to find a Korma recipe once again. When I happened upon yours, I knew just reading it that it was the one.
The ingredients you have paired together are great. I was skeptical of the tomatoes at first, considered pureeing them, but the little pieces in your beautiful picture looked so good. I used a can of petite diced. So glad I left them in. They create a great texture mixed with the cashews and raisins.
I have tried a few variations that turned out great: halved the chicken to make it saucy (still served four great). Then, I added a little hot chili powder and chopped mint to the marinade. Baked the chicken in the marinade, removing a little of the extra liquid before adding the chicken to the sauce. Reduced the raisins and cashews and added paneer (so easy to make).
Served it to my husband, and it knocked his socks off. Seriously great recipe. You nailed it! Thank you so much!
Jan 26, 2014 @ 21:40:36
Wow! I love all of your suggestions! I know… I searched the internet for AGES trying to find a good korma recipe, and there were NONE, which is what made me even more determined to master one! I am so glad you love it, and I think I might have to try a couple of your suggestions to change things up! Thanks so much!
Jan 30, 2014 @ 21:05:06
So about 10 years ago Bombay House published their recipe for vegetable coconut kurma in the newspaper. I have tried making it several times and it does not taste like theirs. I think they left something out on purpose. I love love love their coconut kurma. I am excited to try your recipe and see how it compares.
Jan 31, 2014 @ 08:26:29
Please let me know how you like it! I tried really hard to get close to the real thing… but Bombay House really just needs to come out with a cookbook!
Apr 13, 2014 @ 06:20:56
I love the chicken korma at the Indian restaurant we go to and so I tried making yours. I found one thing missing that absolutely nailed it for me and the family thinks so too. I made it exactly to the recipe and tasted it…something missing. I added some brown sugar and bam! Just like the restaurant, only a bit spicier. I’ve seen many korma recipes and none call for sugar but when I had a look at a premade jar of sauce, the third ingredient is sugar. Anyway, it tastes just like the restaurant so I’m happy. Perhaps traditional korma does not use sugar but it’s been westernized to suit our pallet…so if you try this recipe and think something is missing, there it is. Thanks for the recipe!
Apr 13, 2014 @ 20:38:59
My tastes have been totally Americanized since living here! Everything is better with a little sugar! I will try it. Thanks so much!
May 06, 2014 @ 12:04:10
After cooking the chicken, do you discard any extra (still liquid) marinade? I put the leftover marinade leftover in the frying pan into the sauce mixture, and my sauce was both very thin (I ended up adding some corn starch to help it thicken up) and overly spicy. I suspect that you did not intend for the leftover marinade to be used. Am I right?
May 14, 2014 @ 16:45:23
Yes you are right! I am so sorry that I forgot to mention to discard the marinade in the recipe Cindy! I hope it turns out better next time!
May 14, 2014 @ 18:01:32
Despite the mistake, I still turned out pretty well – before I started I noticed that marinade and sauce had 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper together, so I put only 1/4 tsp into the marinade, and none in the sauce. At that level, it was at the upper end of what I could handle – I’m a wimp when it comes to red pepper heat. For my 10 year old daughter (who really can’t handle heat), I rinsed her chicken off (via a strainer) and she was able to eat it without complaining. My husband liked the heat. The coconut milk added a really nice flavor. I’ve got a couple of delicious Indian recipes that I’d be happy to share – saag paneer (spinach with home made cheese), lamb with cardamom – send me your e-mail address and I’ll be happy to send them your way.
Jun 11, 2014 @ 19:51:41
This is a fantastic recipe! I am from Bountiful UT and a BIG BYU fan! I just stumbled upon this recipe by using google. Taste Of India has taken the place of Bombay, but they are both incredible. Great job on this as we all loved it!
Jun 27, 2014 @ 18:58:16
Second time making your recipe. I know it’s good because the kids will eat the leftovers without me reminding them that it’s in the fridge. Thank you.
Jun 29, 2014 @ 11:56:35
Love it! You’re so welcome Ian!
Jul 22, 2014 @ 16:24:29
I asked my husband what he wanted for his birthday dinner , and he said “Indian food.” Our favorite restaurant is Bombay House, and I could t believe it, because the first google result for the search, “coconut korma recipe” is your recipe. Way to go–it tasted amazing (I even substituted vanilla yogurt for plain, bc our plain was moldy). Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Sep 09, 2014 @ 20:32:52
Absolutely delicious! So excited that I found your recipe. My husband and I used to go out for Indian food at least twice a month and like you I always ordered the chicken Korma. Even though my husband is a vegetarian, he would always eat the korma sauce with his eggplant dish. We’ve been working from home the last few months and haven’t had the opportunity to eat at the Indian restaurant so I thought I’d try my hand at making it to satisfy my craving. It was very yummy!
I used a large fresh tomato cut up instead of canned and I also blended the sauce as that is how we were used to eating it.
Thanks for taking the time to get the taste just right. The whole family enjoyed it and not a drop was left!
Nov 03, 2014 @ 09:02:47
Thanks so much Rene! So glad you and your family loved it!!
Nov 20, 2014 @ 07:16:54
Have you made this replacing the chicken for Tofu for vegetarians? I am wondering if the marinade will work well with it. If so, would it be better to cube and cook the tofu up first before marinating it? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as I am having guests for dinner.
Feb 14, 2015 @ 09:08:50
I made your delicious recipe, however I tweaked it a bit.
I made the marinade exactly as the recipe called for and let the chicken marinade overnight. When I was cooking the chicken I knew this recipe was a winner by the smell! Oh my!
For the sauce, I too, doubled the spices except for the cayenne pepper. In addition to your recipe I added one Serrano pepper and included 1 t of cumin to the spices. I used 1 heaping T of fresh ginger instead of the powdered stuff. I added 1/2 cup of chicken broth with the tomatoes and spices and let it cook 10 minutes to break down the tomatoes — also using the back of the spoon to mash the tomatoes. I then added the coconut milk and that got that going and used my immersion blender. I left some visible tomatoes! Then I dumped in the chicken and the golden raisins. When it was ready, I added the cashews tasted it and it did need that 1 T of brown sugar one of your readers suggested above. So delicious!
I’ve been making the same chicken curry recipe for almost 40years. I’ve never tried another recipe I liked enough to change it up ….. Until NOW!
Thank you. My husband and I LOVED it! I am going to send it to my curry munching nephew as well!
ElizabethS
Feb 16, 2015 @ 10:08:22
Greetings from Helsinki Finland! I’m so glad I found you site / recipe of korma. Just made it and I have to say it was far ahead of any korma recipes I have checked before. So thank you for sharing this. Need to check the Masala as well.
Feb 23, 2015 @ 10:45:09
I’ve made this twice so far and have had good results! I love Bombay House in Provo, and always order the Kurma! The first time I tried your recipe, I only marinated for 4 hours and used a lite coconut milk, the second time I marinated 24 hours and used the regular coconut milk, the second time around was sooooo much better! Also I upped the heavy cream to 1/2 cup and felt it tasted better too! I used chicken breasts, but would bet that this recipe would be even more flavorful with the dark meat chicken like they use at Bombay House! Thanks for the recipe!
Apr 20, 2015 @ 18:13:40
I love this recipe and I make it all the time. We use chicken thigh instead of breast and it’s amazing.
May 09, 2015 @ 06:35:20
My 3 year old granddaughter chose this for her Birthday dinner. How many people do you think one recipe will serve? Can’t wait to try it!
May 25, 2015 @ 13:30:44
Thank you so much for this recipe, Sarah
I tried it and loved it!
Sep 21, 2015 @ 18:52:36
That was so close to Bombay House Kurma, thank you so much for posting. I’ve been a SLC Bombay House addict for years and this just made my night. I pureed the sauce after simmering, but before the cashews and it was awesome!
Nov 10, 2015 @ 18:55:09
Do you have a recipe for Bombay House’s Peshwari Naan, like they used to make a long time ago? Have you ever tried Tadka in Payson? If so, what’s your take on their food? I had it there once, but they changed cooks and I’m looking for a good Kofta Malai recipe also.
Jan 03, 2016 @ 09:04:09
My boyfriend and I are obsessed with Bombay House, and this recipe is my go-to when I need a curry fix. It’s solid.
Mar 07, 2016 @ 16:42:33
This recipe is delicious. I baked the marinated chicken at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes (as per mahdurasrescipe.com) then stuck those bad boys under the broiler for about 2 minutes (until they were a bit charred on top). As per other reviewer, I added a bit of brown sugar to the sauce. We also felt like it was just the tiniest bit flat so I added about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice.
This is a delicious meal. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. 801 REPRESENT!
Jul 21, 2016 @ 14:40:06
just wanted to let you know that i’ve cooked this recipe for a couple years now… it’s one of our favorite dishes. i adjust it a little because we love spice (extra cayenne, no raisins, and extra turmeric for color), sometimes i add broccoli too. i used to live near bombay house and i’m so glad i can make this myself. maybe i’ll try to use shrimp like their version as well. anyway, thank you!
Nov 03, 2016 @ 15:56:57
I make this all the time and really appreciate that you posted it. My friend referred me to your site a while ago. You are awesome.
Thanks!!
Dec 07, 2016 @ 18:56:39
This was really excellent. I’ve been making curry for a long time, experimenting, etc. I found your recipe and voila, my son wanted to eat, rather than complained. You added richness and a nutty taste. Thank you!
Jan 26, 2017 @ 14:41:07
Hi Sarah, I was wondering if I could use plain nonfat Greek yogurt, or if that would be a problem?
Holly
TOP 50 Chicken Korma Recipes on the Internet – The Food Explorer
Feb 23, 2017 @ 00:26:45
[…] Of all the coconut korma’s, the Bombay House version is probably the best, and this is very close to the original. Ingredients: chicken breasts, plain yoghurt, salt, coriander, ceyenne/red pepper, tumeric, garam masala, cumin, butter, onion, garlic, ground ginger, tumeric, cayenne/red pepper, tomatoes, coconut milk, heavy whipping cream, cashew nuts, golden raisins, cilantro and white rice (to serve). Get the full recipe at mattawamum.com […]
Jul 17, 2017 @ 07:00:42
Hello! I am excited to Ry this recipe. I am wondering if you have tried this recipe with shrimp? I have some cooked deveined, tail off frozen shrimp.
Do you think I would cook and marinade it the exact same way as the chicken?
Thank you!