I made this for Neil and I last night – it’s another new recipe from my new cookbook Chai, Chaat and Chutney that Abigail gave me. It’s a delicious, and easy recipe from Kolkata and only takes just over an hour to do. The only slight nuisance was having to buy a whole coconut for just a couple of tablespoons of grated coconut. The only alternative Sainsbury’s had was dessicated coconut, which, as the recipe called for ‘fresh’ didn’t quite fit the bill. The recipe called for 6 tablespoons, but I cut it down to just 2, partly ’cause I was only cooking for 2, not 4, and partly because neither Neil nor I are actually that keen on coconut. (The rest of the coconut is now hanging outside, in theory for the birds, but in reality, being eaten by a hungry squirrel!)
Serves 4
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
4 skinless chicken legs
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
6 tablespoons of freshly grated coconut
1 litre of boiling water
1½ teaspoons of salt
½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric
2 carrots, diced
2 floury potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon of plain flour
½ a teaspoon of ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a wide saucepan, over a high heat.
Cook the chicken pieces, (1 at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan) frying for 5 minutes on each side, until golden all over.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Put the garlic, onion and ginger into the same pan and cook in the same oil as the chicken, and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
Then add the coconut and return the chicken to the pan. Pour in the boiling water, and add the salt and turmeric. Mix well and cover the pan with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the diced carrot and potato to the pan. Pop the lid back on and cook gently for 15 minutes, until softened.
In a small bowl mix together the flour and 4-5 tablespoons of cooking liquid from the stew into a smooth paste. Stir this into the stew, then bring to the boil and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes.
Serve immediately with pepper sprinkled over.
cookingwithneil 