Mild Coconut Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 150ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 150g frozen peas
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 25g fresh root ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 320g basmati rice
• 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp mango chutney
• Kachumber salad, to serve

Method

1. Warm a large deep frying pan over a medium heat with a splash of oil from the coconut milk tin. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes until soft and sweet.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, mild curry powder, turmeric and tomato puree. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the spices smell fragrant and the paste clings to the onion.
3. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the stock, scatter in the red lentils and stir well. Nestle in the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice so nothing catches, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened to a creamy, spoon-coating consistency.
4. Stir in the peas and sugar, then simmer for 3 minutes until the peas are bright and hot. Taste and season generously; mild curries still need enough salt to taste rounded rather than flat. If the sauce has tightened too much, loosen with a splash of stock or water.
5. Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook in salted water with the cardamom pods until tender. Drain and fluff with a fork.
6. Serve the curry over rice with coriander scattered on top and mango chutney on the side for anyone who likes extra sweetness. The payoff is gentle spice, silky coconut sauce and juicy chicken that feels like a takeaway treat made at home.