Korma is the gentle giant of Pakistani and Mughal cuisine — a dish with no aggressive heat, no sharp sourness, but extraordinary depth achieved through the slow marriage of fat, protein, and aromatics. It was the centrepiece of imperial Mughal tables, and it remains one of the most technically demanding curries to cook correctly because its flavour comes not from a simple masala but from the careful construction of a nut-enriched yoghurt sauce that must not break.
The cashew paste thickens the sauce and adds a creamy sweetness. The fried onions (birista) contribute deep, caramelised complexity. The whole spices — cardamom, mace, nutmeg — create a warm, perfumed note that is distinctly Mughal. There is no chilli powder in a correct korma; the heat, such as it is, comes only from black pepper and a few green chillies.