Chicken curry kapitan

• Serves 6

• Preparation time:

• Cooking time:

Ingredients

1kg boneless, skinned chicken thighs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 fat lemongrass stalks
400ml coconut milk
6 kaffir lime leaves
2 tsp palm or light muscovado sugar
Juice ½ lime
A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
Salt

For the kapitan curry paste:
6 dried red kashmiri chillies
4 heaped tablespoons desiccated coconut
250g shallots or onions, roughly chopped
6 fat garlic cloves
50g peeled fresh galangal or ginger
2 tsp turmeric powder
4 fat lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed and core roughly chopped
½ tsp shrimp paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. For the kapitan curry paste, cover the dried chillies with boiling hot water and leave them to soak for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the desiccated coconut, and stir it around for a few minutes until lightly golden. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool, then tip into a mini food processor and grind quite finely.

2. Drain the red chillies, put them into a mini food processor with the remaining ingredients and the toasted coconut and grind everything into a smooth paste.

3. Cut the chicken thigh fillets into small chunks. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole or large, deep frying pan over a low heat. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry for 2 minutes until lightly golden. Lower the heat slightly, add the spice paste and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.

4. Meanwhile, cut away and discard the top two-thirds of each remaining lemongrass stalk. Bruise the bases with the end of a rolling pin.

5. Add coconut milk, lemongrass stalks, kaffir lime leaves, sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Add the lime juice and simmer for 1 more minute. Scatter over the chopped coriander and serve with some steamed rice.

Steamed rice, to serve.

Notes