Buttermilk fried chicken, Tamarind & Coffee

Serves 4

Ingredients for fried chicken

4 chicken legs 150ml buttermilk 200g plain flour 100g cornflakes, crushed 1 tsp salt Vegetable oil for frying

Tamarind mayo

2 egg yolks

1 tsp white wine vinegar 1/2 tsp dijon mustard 250ml pomace oil 1 tbsp tamarind paste Salt to season

Coffee gastrique

180ml water 140g sugar 100ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar

30g ground coffee

Method

Separate the drumstick from the thigh by cutting between the joint. Remove the skin and excess fat from both. Debone the pieces by cutting down the sides of the meat. Cover your cutting board with cling film, place a thigh or drumstick flat on top and cover with another layer of cling film. With a mallet or saucepan flatten to a thickness of 5cm. Repeat with remaining pieces. Cover chicken with buttermilk and refrigerate for 24 hours. Fill a large pot with oil (5cm deep – this should not fill more than 1/3 of pot). Heat oil to 190°C. Remove chicken from buttermilk and pat dry. Mix flour, cornflakes and salt then place the meat in mix. Press firmly, flip and repeat until all chicken is well coated. Gently place thighs and drumsticks in the oil using metal tongs. Cook in batches at 190°C (checking temp regularly) for 5 mins or until golden and they have an internal temp of 75°C. Place cooked chicken on paper towel. Season lightly with salt.

For the tamarind mayo

Whisk egg yolks, vinegar and mustard, slowly adding the oil until thick mayo forms. Add tamarind. Season.

For the coffee gastrique

Boil the sugar and water until it is a dark caramel. Deglaze with vinegar, then infuse with coffee for 5 mins. Strain off. To plate, place a thigh and drumstick on each plate and cover it with the coffee gastrique. Add a dollop of tamarind mayo.