SRI LANKAN CHICKEN MASALA TRAYBAKE

Using just one tray for a dinner party makes so much sense; it’s a stress-free way to deliver a crowd pleaser with minimal washing up. This is the perfect make-ahead dish, too. You can marinate and keep the chicken and curry sauce for up to 2 days in the fridge. Just bring it back up to room temperature before roasting.

SERVES4

★ 10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

★ 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

★ 3 shallots, sliced

★ 30 fresh curry leaves

For the masala curry

★ 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

★ 5 garlic cloves, crushed

★ 1 tsp ground turmeric

★ 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder

★ juice of ½ lemon

★ 3 ripe vine tomatoes

(or 20 cherry tomatoes)

★ 1 tbsp tomato purée

★ 1 small onion, cut into chunks

★ 20g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

★ 2 tbsp medium curry powder

★ 1 tsp palm sugar (or honey)

★ 400g can of coconut milk

★ 1 tsp sea salt

1 In a food processor, blitz all the ingredients for the masala curry until smooth. Spread over the chicken thighs (in a nonmetallic dish) and marinate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight, in the fridge.

2 Transfer the chicken and sauce to a baking tray and bring to room temperature.

3 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast for 45-50 minutes until the skin has browned and the sauce has thickened. Remove and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the shallots and fry for a couple of minutes until crispy, then add the curry leaves and leave to sizzle for a few seconds.

5 Pour this over the chicken as a final garnish and serve with rice and Sri Lankan beetroot curry (see overleaf).

for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, wash your rice twice, until the water runs clear, and set aside.

6 Remove the baking tray from the oven, lift out the chicken and add the rice, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and turmeric to the baking tray. Give everything a stir to coat the rice, then add the water with salt to taste. Put the chicken on top, then roast, covered, for 30 minutes, removing the foil for the final 10 minutes to brown the skin.

7 Once the rice has absorbed the liquid and the chicken is cooked and browned, garnish with the fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds. Serve with the poppadoms and lime pickle-swirled yogurt. Carve the chicken at the table and let everyone help themselves.