Sri Lankan chicken curry with coconut sambol

A fragrant, coconutty chicken curry with toasted spices, cinnamon and cardamom, the way it is made all over Sri Lanka. The fresh coconut sambol, sharp with lime and chilli, is the classic thing to eat alongside.

Ingredients

• 800 g Chicken thighs, boneless, cut into chunks
• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 2 Onions, finely sliced
• 0.3 Garlic, crushed
• 20 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 1 Fresh chillies, green, slit
• 15 g Curry powder, toast it in a dry pan first for a deeper flavour
• 2 g Ground turmeric
• 2 g Chilli powder
• 1 g Ground cinnamon
• 2 g Cardamom pods, about 5, lightly crushed
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 0.5 Limes, juiced
• 5 g Salt
• 80 g Desiccated coconut
• 0.5 Red onions, very finely chopped
• 1 Fresh chillies, finely chopped
• 1 g Chilli powder
• 1 Limes, juiced
• 300 g Basmati rice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions with the cardamom until soft and golden.
2. Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli for a minute, then the curry powder, turmeric, chilli powder and cinnamon for another minute.
3. Add the chicken and salt and stir until coated and sealed all over.
4. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
5. Soak the desiccated coconut in 4 tablespoons of warm water for a few minutes, then mix with the red onion, chilli, chilli powder, lime juice and a pinch of salt, rubbing it together with your fingers so it turns pinky-orange.
6. Rinse the rice and boil in plenty of salted water, then drain and leave covered.
7. Finish the curry with the lime juice, taste for salt and serve with the rice and sambol.