CHICKEN & APRICOT CURRY

Serves six, prep time 40 minutes, cooking time 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PASTE

■ 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes

■ 3 cinnamon sticks

■ 1 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

■ 8 cardamom seeds

■ 10 cloves

■ 1 tsp of turmeric

■ 2 tsp of grated ginger

■ 2 crushed cloves of garlic

FOR THE CURRY

■ 15 dried apricots, halved

■ 4 chicken breasts, cubed

■ 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

■ 2 onions, chopped

■ 2 tbsp of tomato puree

■ 1 can of chopped tomatoes

■ 2 tbsp of white vinegar

■ 1 1/2 tsp of sugar

FOR THE POTATO STRAWS

■ 2 large potatoes, grated

■ Vegetable oil for deep frying

TO SERVE

■ Steamed Basmati rice

■ Coriander sprigs

METHOD

1 In a pestle and mortar or food processor, blend the dry ingredients with the garlic and ginger into a paste.

2 Bring 300ml of water to the boil and simmer the apricots for about 10 minutes until they soften. Set aside.

3 Place the cubed chicken in a large bowl and coat with the paste. (Leave the chicken to marinate overnight if possible.) 4 Next, heat oil and saute the onions. Add the chicken and brown. Pour in the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. 5 Meanwhile, rinse the grated potato under cold water until it runs clear. Place onto a tea towel, spread out evenly, cover with a second tea towel and press down hard.

6 Add the apricots, vinegar and sugar to the pan with the chicken and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7 Next, heat oil in a deep pan over a medium heat. Add a handful of grated potato, stir once and leave the straws to brown. With a mesh spoon remove the straws and place on some kitchen towel to drain the excess oil. Repeat until you have fried all the potato. Shake and add salt. 8 Remove the curry from the heat. Garnish with coriander. Serve with some steamed rice, and top that with the potato straws.