1kg fresh halal chicken drumsticks and bony thighs, skin off 25g garlic, crushed to a paste 25g ginger, crushed to a paste Pinch salt ½ tsp turmeric powder
For the green curry paste
50g garlic 25g ginger 3-4 fresh long green chillies 100g fresh coriander leaves 100g fresh mint leaves 2 red onions, cut in half
For the curry
1 tbsp vegetable oil 3-4 bay leaves 2 black cardamom pods 5-6 whole black pepper corns 2-3 star anise 1 cup desiccated coconut powder Salt to taste Pinch of garam masala powder
For the turmeric rice
500g long grain basmati rice 25g turmeric powder 1 tsp salt 2 large cardamom pods 2 star anise 2 bay leaves
For the parathas
500g wholemeal wheat flour Water ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp Desi ghee (pure cow’s milk based Indian butter)
To garnish
Double cream Fresh coriander
Preparation
METHOD
Wash the chicken and marinate it for an hour in a little garlic and ginger paste, salt and turmeric powder.
Rinse the rice and then soak for an hour in cold water.
In a food processor, make the green curry paste as follows: Grind together the garlic, ginger, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves and onion halves with a dash of water till you get a smooth paste.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan then add the bay leaves, cardamom seeds, black peppercorns and star anise. Stir for just half a minute then add the green curry paste. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
Mix one pint of warm water with the desiccated coconut powder in a separate bowl. Stir till no lumps remain and pour this into the pan. (Leave a tablespoon of coconut cream aside for garnishing.) Stir till you get a smooth, even, green consistency for a minute.
Add the marinated chicken, stir slightly, cover and cook on a medium heat for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a pinch of garam masala towards the end of cooking.
Boil approx 1litre of water. Once boiled, pour it on the rinsed rice. Add the salt, turmeric and whole dried spices and cook on the hob over a medium heat. Once the rice grains start jumping and dancing about in the pot, boil for a further 5 minutes then drain, remove the whole spices and pour the cooked rice back into the rice pan. Place a fry pan on the hob and the rice pan on it, cover and cook on a low heat for about 7- 8 minutes. This allows the heat to dissipate through the pan without burning the rice.
To make the parathas, pour flour in a wide round bottom kneading vessel in a heap and top with salt. Make a well and add some water and 1tablespoon oil. Knead the flour to a smooth, soft, firm dough with one hand.
Once the dough is ready, add the remaining 1tablespoon oil and knead again slightly. Rest the dough in the fridge for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough into equal rounded small balls. With a rolling pin, roll the balls with the help of dry flour into an isosceles triangle shape, one at a time.
Heat a griddle pan or tawa and drizzle with some ghee. Add the rolled triangles to it and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, checking carefully not to burn.
Once ready, top with a dash of pure ghee (around 4 drops or a quarter teaspoon) on each paratha before serving with the curry.
Serve the curry hot with turmeric basmati rice and the parathas. Garnish with a swirl of the coconut cream and a coriander leaf.
