← Nouns Cooking · West & East African

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs or legs, skin removed
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 3 cm piece Ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
• 2 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 scotch bonnet or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Curry powder
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• ½ tsp Cumin
• 2 Tomato, grated
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 3 Eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and halved (optional)
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Rub the chicken with half the lemon juice, the salt, turmeric and half the garlic and ginger. Leave to marinate for 30 min.
2. Grill the chicken under a hot grill or over charcoal for 8–10 min per side, until browned with charred spots. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the onions for 8 min until golden. Add the rest of the garlic and ginger and the chilli and cook for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the curry powder, coriander and cumin for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook for 5 min until soft and jammy.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and 125 ml water and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken and simmer uncovered for 20–25 min, turning it now and then, until the sauce is thick and the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F).
6. Add the eggs for the last 5 min. Finish with the remaining lemon juice and the coriander, and serve with rice or chapati.

Tips

• Grilling first gives the smoky flavour that makes kuku paka special; a very hot griddle pan works too.
• Do not let the sauce boil hard once the coconut milk is in, or it can split.
• Wear gloves to cut or blend scotch bonnets, keep your hands away from your eyes and wash the board, knife and blender well afterwards.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Kaluhi's Kitchen Eat Well Abi Low Carb Africa