Here's one of my favourite recipes. A recipe that I always get asked for when serving the curry at the shop. I've simplified it so you should have most of the ingredients in your cupboards or local shop.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

MARINADE:

1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 chicken stock cube
1 pinch salt and coarse black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, diced or crushed
1 large onion, diced
10g fresh ginger, peeled
1 red chilli - more for more heat

CURRY:

500 chicken thigh, diced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
200g chopped tomatoes
200ml coconut milk
1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
250g butternut squash, diced

RICE:

200g Brown rice
2 x 400g kidney beans
400ml Coconut milk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp mixed spice
2 garlic cloves
Salt

GARNISH:

Fresh coriander leaves
Sour cream


Method:

Make the marinade a couple of hours before tea time. Or the night before.

1. Blend all the marinade ingredients together in a food processor or blender.

2. Mix marinade with diced chicken and leave covered, in the fridge, for 2 hours or longer.


Now for the rice Rice n Pea

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly.

2. Put rice, 300ml water and all other Rice n Pea ingredients in a pan on high, with the lid off.

3. When it start to boil, reduce heat to a gentle summer and leave lid on for 10mins.

4. Start on curry now. But after 10 mins, add drained kidney beans and cook for a further 5 mins.

6. When there's no steam coming off the pan and no visible liquid on the rice, turn off the heat but leave lid on for a further 5 mins.


The Curry

1. Get a pan on a high heat. When it's up to temperature add olive oil. Then stir in brown sugar and add the chicken and marinade. Stir to coat all chicken.

2. Add butternut squash and mix in. Cook for 2 mins.

3. Add the coconut milk and chopped tomatoes and cook for ten mins.

4. When you take the Rice n Pea off the heat, add the red bell peppers to the curry and cook for 5 mins.

Fluff up the rice with a fork and you're ready to plate everything up.

Twist:

Float a couple of scotch bonnets in the curry whilst it cooks, then remove before eating. Or blend one into the marinade if you've got taste buds of steel.

--

Simon Long

Co-founder, Xing & Shambles Kitchen

@SimonALong