All the flavours of the Caribbean are here in this delicious celebration dish that is perfect for a summer dinner party or special occasion meal.
Ingredients:
For the rundown sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, left whole
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2½ tsp ground allspice
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 cinnamon sticks
400ml tin coconut milk
100g creamed coconut, grated
6 cherry tomatoes
200ml vegetable stock
For the fried chicken:
1 egg
50ml milk
100g plain flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground allspice
2 chicken thighs, skin on, boneless and cut into 3 pieces each
100g breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the ital vegetables:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, cut into quarters
1 red onion, cut into quarters
2 large carrots, peeled, diced and par-boiled
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
125g spinach, wilted and chopped
125g rainbow chard, wilted and chopped
For the mango pickle:
100ml white vinegar
100g caster sugar
6 black peppercorns, crushed
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 long red chilli (cayenne type), sliced into thin rounds
To Garnish:
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
4 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
Method:
To make the rundown sauce, place a frying man over low heat. Once hot, add the oil and use to gently fry the onion and garlic. Add the scotch bonnet chilli and continue frying until the onions are softened (about 8 minutes). Add all of the spices, stir gently and let the mixture sizzle for a few minutes, until aromatic.
Stir in the coconut milk and coconut cream, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock, return to a simmer and cook gently for a further 30 minutes to reduce and thicken.
For the fried chicken: beat the egg and milk together in a small jug. Mix the flour, cumin, paprika, coriander and allspice in a wide bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dip each chicken piece into the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, then back into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Transfer to your refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, pre-heat a deep fat fryer to 180°C. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken pieces in the deep fat fryer for 3 minutes on each side until golden. Carefully transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
To make the ital vegetables, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6). Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and use to fry the onions until slightly softened (about 3-4 minutes). Add the carrots and spices to the pan and stir to mix. Transfer to a roasting tin and drizzle the remaining oil over the vegetables. Place in your pre-heated oven and roast for 25 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and stir through the greens.
To prepare the mango pickle, place the vinegar, sugar and peppercorns in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool a little and add the mango and chilli. Set aside to pickle for 10 minutes.
Arrange the chicken and ital vegetables on plates and pour the rundown sauce on top. Garnish with coriander, spring onion, and parsley. Finish with the mango pickle.
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