Sri Lankan Red Chicken

In Sri Lanka curries are distinguished by their colour, red, black and white. This red chicken is fiery and hot. The hotness can be reduced by substituting paprika powder for the chilli powder in the recipe.

(Preparation time 10 minutes. Cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes)

Ingredients

(serves 4)

• 8 chicken thighs
• 1/2 teaspoonful black pepper ground
• salt to taste
• 3-4 tablespoonsful oil
• 2 medium-sized onions
• 20 curry leaves
• 8 cloves garlic
• 5cm (2") piece ginger
• 3 teaspoonsful chilli powder
• 1 teaspoonful paprika powder
• 2 teaspoonsful granulated sugar

Directions

1. Remove the skins from the thighs, and cut off any excess fat. Put the thighs, the pepper and salt into a pan, together with half a litre of cold water, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour.
2. Remove the pieces of chicken onto a plate. Bring the stock rapidly to a boil, and continue boiling until it has reduced to about 150ml ( 1/4 of a pint ) and set aside.
3. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Grate the ginger. In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil. Add the onions and the curry leaves, and fry until the onions are golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli, paprika, the sugar and the stock and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.