Ingredients:

Chicken 1
Onions 2
Chillies, red or green, sliced 3
Garlic, cloves 3 or 4
Chilli powder, hot 1 heaped teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1 heaped teaspoon
Peppercorns, crushed 1 level teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 heaped teaspoon
Cumin powder 1 level teaspoon
Cardamon powder 1 level teaspoon
Fish sauce, Malay or Thai 1 tablespoon
Vinegar 1 tablepoon
Sugar 2 level teaspoons
Salt 1 heaped teaspoon
Ginger root, 3mm thick slices 5
Coconut cream, unsweetened 1/2 tin or 2 heaped tablespoons powder
Citrus leaves, young, soft 3 sprigs
Lemon grass, chopped ~ 25mm 1 stem
Olive oil 1/2 cup

Directions:

Cut off the wings and thighs of the chicken. Separate at each joint. Cut drumsticks and thighs in half. Separate the breast from the back by cutting along the sides of the bird. Split the breast lengthwise from the inside with a cleaver. Cut each half into three sections transversely.

Cut back into three parts. Put the back, liver and giblets into a saucepan. Just cover with water and boil gently for one hour to make chicken stock. Alternatively pressure cook for 15 minutes.

Fry sliced onions and crushed garlic in olive oil until light brown. Stir regularly. Use a large saucepan with a lid.

Add spices and ginger and fry for about three minutes or until the spices smell cooked. Stir regularly.

Add chicken pieces and fry until all signs of rawness on the outside of the meat has gone. Stir the meat to spread the spices over the surfaces and to stop burning on the bottom of the pan.
This will take about ten minutes. Add salt, sugar, citrus leaves, vinegar, fish sauce and lemon grass.

Add chicken stock to half cover the meat. Stir and simmer, covered, for one hour. If not using coconut cream almost cover the meat. Omit coconut cream only if the stock is excellent.

Add coconut milk. Stir and simmer, covered, for ten minutes.
Do not cook for long after the coconut is added as the viscosity of the gravy will be reduced.

Considerations and ingredient alternatives:

Increase or reduce the number of chillies and chilli powder to suit taste. Coconut cream powder is now the most convenient form of coconut cream. Several tinned anchovies can be used to replace the fish sauce. Lemon juice can be used to replace the vinegar, particularly if lemon grass is unavailable. Citrus leaves (lime, lemon or orange) are only available if you have a tree. Potatoes and hard boiled eggs can be added to the curry.

 

Serve with boiled rice, sliced tomatoes, cucumber in yoghurt,
potato curry etc.

 

 

Recipe submitted by Roger Dewhurst.