Massaman Chicken Curry

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1/4 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed
• 1 red chili pepper, seeded and finely sliced
• 4 golden shallots, finely sliced
• 3 cm gingerroot, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 stalk lemongrass, section only, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon peanuts, unsalted and roasted
• 500 g chicken thigh fillets, fat and skin removed
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil or 1 tablespoon cooking spray
• 270 ml coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 100 g potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cardamom pods
• 30 ml fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon peanuts, unsalted and roasted

Recipe

• 1 par boil the potatoes, drain and set aside.
• 2 to make the paste, place the peppercorns, cinnamon, cumin and corriander in a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until aromatic.
• 3 cool the spice mixture, then add it to a food processor, together with the chilli, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, garlic and peanuts. process until you have a smooth paste.
• 4 add the oil to a large, heavy based pan, and heat on a medium heat.
• 5 add the chicken pieces, and cook until browned. you might need to do this in batches.
• 6 remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
• 7 still on a medium heat, add the spice mixture and fry gently for about 1 minute.
• 8 add the coconut milk and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
• 9 i like my curry paste super-smooth, so at this stage i remove from heat, cool for a few minutes and then add to a blender, and blend the coconut milk and spice mixture until it's a smooth, creamy mix. return to the pan. this step is entirely optional.
• 10 add the sugar to the coconut milk mixture, and cook on medium for a further 3 minutes.
• 11 return the chicken to the pan and add in the potatoes, bay leaf, cardamon pods, fish sauce and tamarind.
• 12 bring to the boil, then reduce and gently simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken and potatoes are cooked.
• 13 add the extra peanuts 5-10 minutes before finish cooking.
• 14 serve with steamed rice and/or roti.