17. Braised Chicken With Spies

Ingredients :
4 4 2 5 cm 400 ml 2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons 1/4 teaspoon 2 tablespoons 6 6 6 1 4 20	chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks, total weight about 1 kg cloves garlic, chopped shallots, chopped piece fresh root ginger, chopped coconut milk ground coriander ground cumin ground turmeric vegetable oil green cardamom pods star anise dried red chilies cinnamon stick cloves fresh curry leaves
Method : Skin chicken pieces and set aside. Place garlic, shallots, ginger, coconut milk, coriander, cumin and turmeric into a small blender. Mix to a fine paste. In a heavy based saucepan large enough to hold chicken in a single layer, heat oil over medium heat. Add cardamom pods, star anise, chilies, cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves. Fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/3 of the coconut milk mixture. Bring to the boil then add chicken. Turn to coat then cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining coconut milk mixture. Bring to a simmer then lower heat and cook gently, uncovered, for 50 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring every minute. The chicken should be golden brown and most of the milk evaporated. Pour away oily residue. Increase heat to high. Add 3-4 tablespoon water and stir to deglaze pan. Serve chicken with Thai rice and sauce. Serves 4