Spicy chicken stew

Name: Spicy chicken stew
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian
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

Neil Perry

September 10, 2020

A cross between chicken stew and curry.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

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.