Whole chicken in curry and buttermilk
FOOD
Serves 4–6
Preparation time 20 minutes, plus overnight to marinate Cooking time 1 hour 15 minutes
You need
• 1 whole chicken (about 1,5 kg) • 2 red onions, in thick rings
• 12 small carrots
• bunch of radishes, rinsed
• 200 g patty pans, halved
For the marinade
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• thumb of fresh ginger, grated
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped • big pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
Here’s how
1 Use a sharp knife and make two diagonal cuts into each breast, thigh and drumstick of the chicken. Combine the marinade ingredients and rub it on the chicken inside and out. Work the marinade into all the cuts. Put the chicken in a glass bowl, cover it and marinate in the fridge overnight.
2 Spread the onion rings evenly in a big foil container. Put the chicken on top of the onion rings with the breast facing up. Set aside until the chicken is at room temperature.
3 Prepare your kettle braai for the indirect cooking method with enough coals on both sides to supply heat for more than an hour. 4 Put the foil container in the kettle braai. Pour ½ cup water into the container and close the lid of the kettle braai with the vents open about 3/4 of the way. Cook the chicken for about 45 minutes without opening the lid.
5 Add the vegetables to the container and turn the chicken over to brown the other side. Cook for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you insert a knife into a thigh. The veggies should be perfectly cooked and smoky. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
You can also roast the chicken in a preheated oven at 180° C. Let the chicken rest before you carve it into portions.
• 2 teaspoons rainbow peppercorns (black, white and pink)
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (also spelled Szechuan; available from Woolworths or a deli)
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Here’s how
1 Remove all the extra fat from the steak and cut the fat into pieces. Set aside.
2 Crush the salt, peppercorns and bay leaf and rub the mixture onto the steak. Set the meat aside at room temperature while you light the fire.
3 There are different methods to cook steak – I prefer to use the steak’s fat instead of a thin layer of
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oil. Heat a cast iron pan over the coals (or a gas burner). Render the fat until the bottom of the pan is greased. Remove the crispy bits and fry the steak on one side until it no longer sticks to the pan and forms a golden brown crust – no more than 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook the other side. Use the braai tongs to hold the steak upright to brown the fatty rind.
4 Now balance the steak upright on the bone – in the pan or directly on the grid. After a few minutes, test the eye of the steak (it’s the middle part of the biggest piece of meat). If it’s very soft, the steak is not yet cooked and you can braai it for a few minutes a side over cooler coals. Be careful not to overcook it. Personal preference, the braai master’s skill and the thickness of the meat cut will also influence the cooking time. Baste the steak with Worcestershire sauce and set it aside to rest before you slice it into pieces.
Braai two beef marrow bones, cut in half lengthwise, for 10 – 15 minutes until the marrow starts to melt. Season the marrow with the salt-and-pepper mixture, scatter over fresh parsley and serve hot with the steak, your favourite mustard and chips.
• ½ cup long mung bean sprouts • 200 g pea pods, thinly sliced • handful of mint leaves
• lime juice, to taste
• about 100 g rice vermicelli
For the marinade
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 1 small onion, pulped with a hand blender
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soya sauce
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• pinch of salt and pepper
For the noodle sauce
• juice of 1 lime or about 30 ml lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soya sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 red chilli, chopped or to taste • ½ cup mint leaves, torn
Here’s how
1 Combine all the marinade ingredients. Add the pork to the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2 Whisk the ingredients for the noodle sauce together. Cook the rice vermicelli according to the directions on the packet. Drain the vermicelli and combine with the sauce.
3 Heat a cast iron pan and fry the marinated pork in sesame oil until it’s brown and caramelised. Regulate the heat so the meat doesn’t burn before it is cooked through.
4 Take a lettuce leaf and add a few spoons of pork, some noodles, cucumber, sprouts, peas and mint. Drizzle with lime juice and eat it like a wrap. Alternatively, combine all the ingredients to make a fresh, filling salad.
The marinated pork is also delicious threaded onto skewers and cooked over the coals.