Chicken and king oyster coconut curry

And here we are: my first new recipe in some time. You’ll be getting them regularly from now on, but we have moved away from the habit of publishing a recipe every day, five days a week. Instead, I’ll be running them as and when I’ve done one that I think is worth sharing with you.

We’ve loosened up our recipe content, because I must admit to having got a bit bogged down with the expectation of five new recipes every week. We began publishing daily ones early in lockdown – our Lockdown Recipe Of the Day – but we’ve all moved on since then. We’re not stuck at home, and these days we buy our sourdough and banana bread. Well, most of us do.

But don’t worry – there’ll still be plenty of recipes to make for your family, often.

Let’s start with a fragrant coconut curry fit for a cold night. After a weekend flit to Johannesburg to attend the Kingsmead Book Fair, a one-day festival where fellow cookbook author Fehmz and I were interviewed by Tannie Maria creator Sally Andrew, I didn’t have much energy for cooking but fancied a bit of spice.

After depositing my suitcase at home and greeting family and cats, I went off to my local Checkers and, in my mind, assembled a simple dish. A packet of king oysters, those long, slim, slightly wavy ones, a packet of deboned, skinless chicken thighs, some spring onions and fresh coriander.

I forgot the key ingredient, and had parked at home when I remembered that I also needed a can of coconut cream. So I tootled down the road and found a can of that.

The spicing for a curry such as this can be as varied as whatever’s on your spice shelf. You can put hard spices in – cardamom pods, star anise, cumin and/or fennel seeds – or just use whatever masala curry you have to hand.

We always have good-quality Durban curry masala, so I used a heaped tablespoon of that, but felt it needed a bit more sweetness, so I added a teaspoonful of cardamom powder as well. And there’s nothing to stop you using fresh ginger and garlic, finely chopped, for a coconut curry with more voomah.

So, don’t feel you have to use exactly those two spices, just trawl through your spices and choose the ones you like the idea of instead of the ones I used.

Do use coconut cream rather than coconut milk, as the latter is just too watery for my taste. The cream has more body and “carries” the curry better.

I don’t like chicken bones and skin in a curry, though there are exceptions: a good Cape Malay chicken akhni must have the bones and skin on the thighs; it just wouldn’t be the same without them.

But for this coconut curry, try to use boneless, skinless thighs.

Tony’s chicken thigh and king oyster coconut curry

(Serve 3 to 4 with rice)

Ingredients

12 deboned, skinless chicken thighs

1 can coconut cream

1 heaped Tbsp masala

1 heaped tsp cardamom powder

3 king oyster mushrooms sliced lengthways

1 carrot sliced in julienne strips

3 spring onions

Fresh coriander

Salt

Rice, cooked according to the packet instructions

Method

Make sure the chicken thigh fillets are at room temperature.

Slice the king oyster mushrooms thinly lengthwise so that you have long strips.

Peel the carrot, cut it in half in the middle, and slice the two sections into slim julienne strips, lengthwise.

Chop the ends off the spring onions and slice them into small pieces on the diagonal. Use some of the green parts, but not the woodier sections at the top end.

Put a deep, heavy pot on a moderate heat and add a splash of oil.

Add the mushroom strips and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, until coloured and slightly cooked.

Add the contents of the can of coconut cream.

Stir in the masala and cardamom powder, or add whatever spices you wish to use. Stir until all spices have amalgamated with the coconut cream.

Add the deboned, skinless chicken thighs, the carrots, and two-thirds of the spring onions. Retain the rest for later.

Season with salt to taste, bring to a simmer, and let it cook gently for about 50 minutes. Stir now and then to be sure it doesn’t catch at the bottom. Keep it covered at first, then remove the lid so that the sauce can reduce and thicken while the flavours intensify.

Meanwhile, make enough rice for the people you’re serving.

Chop the (rinsed and dried) coriander leaves finely.

Stir two-thirds of the coriander into the curry before serving, and scatter the remainder on when serving, along with the remainder of the spring onions. DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.