Serves 4

Place chicken portions and 550ml coconut milk in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer with a lid on for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, pound chillies, peanuts, peppercorns, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, palm sugar and shrimp paste until a wet ‘paste' is formed.

Heat a few teaspoons of peanut oil in a wok and ‘cook' the paste for 1-2 minutes, to release the fragrant aromas of all the ingredients. Gradually add the remaining 250ml coconut milk in a thin stream to the paste, so as to ‘deglaze' the pan. Reduce the coconut paste to approximately one-third of a cup.

Transfer chicken portions from the coconut milk to a serving plate and spoon over the spiced coconut milk paste.  Serve with steamed Jasmine rice, shredded red chilli and kaffir lime leaves.