Kerala chicken stew with coconut and potatoes

A soothing, creamy white stew from Kerala in south India: chicken, potatoes and carrots simmered in coconut milk with whole spices, ginger and black pepper. Fragrant rather than fiery, so it suits the whole family.

Ingredients

• 700 g Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks
• 20 ml Vegetable oil
• 1 Cinnamon sticks
• 2 g Cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 0.5 g Cloves, about 4
• 2 Onions, thinly sliced
• 25 g Fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
• 0.3 Garlic, sliced
• 1 Fresh chillies, green, left whole so it stays mild
• 3 g Black pepper, coarsely ground
• 400 g Potatoes, cut into chunks
• 200 g Carrots, cut into chunks
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 5 g Salt
• 100 g Frozen peas
• 0.5 Limes, juiced
• 320 g Basmati rice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and whole chilli and cook gently until soft but not brown.
3. Add the chicken, black pepper, potatoes, carrots, salt and 300ml water. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender.
4. Rinse the rice and cook it in a lidded pan with 480ml water on the lowest heat once boiling.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and peas and simmer gently, without boiling hard, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is creamy.
6. Fish out the chilli and whole spices, squeeze in the lime and serve with the rice.