Spicy chicken stew
This dish is half curry, half stew, and totally delicious.
Ingredients
2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
4 sticks cinnamon
5 makrut lime leaves
1 tsp sea salt
500g boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets (organic, if possible), thickly sliced
3 tbsp grated palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind water
1 small handful sweet Thai basil leaves
Spice paste
3 candlenuts, roasted until golden and chopped
6 long red chillies, chopped
3 red shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm knob ginger, peeled and chopped
2cm knob galangal, chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, chopped
1 finger of fresh turmeric, chopped
Method
Step 1
To make the spice paste, pound all the ingredients together in a mortar with a pestle to a fine paste. Alternatively, process the ingredients with a blender, adding a little water, if necessary.
Step 2
Place the spice paste, tomatoes, cinnamon, lime leaves and sea salt in a large heavy-based pot. Add 1 litre of water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer very gently for about 90 minutes.
Step 3
Add the chicken, return the sauce to the boil, then simmer for about 8 minutes until the sauce is reduced and the chicken is cooked.
Step 4
Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind water, then adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Stir through the basil leaves to serve.
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Neil Perry is a restaurateur, chef and former Good Weekend columnist.
