Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry

The Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C / 325°F / gas mark 3. Pour the coconut milk into a casserole dish (or use a small roasting tin with a lid made of tin foil) and whisk in the curry paste or powder, turmeric and the cayenne pepper, if using. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into the coconut mixture until evenly combined.

Trim down the scallions and finely chop. Peel the carrots and cut into slices and trim from the green beans and cut each one in half. Stir into the chicken mixture (reserving a little scallion as a garnish) and season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a lid. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour or until the chicken and vegetables are tender

Once the chicken has been cooking for half an hour, rinse the rice well in a sieve and then put into a small saucepan with 250ml of water and a pinch of salt, if using. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer for 25 minutes without lifting off the lid, then turn off the heat and leave to sit for another 10 minutes for perfectly cooked rice (or simply cook according to packet instructions). This rice can sit happily for up to 30 minutes with the lid on.

Fluff up the rice with a fork and divide among bowls or plates. Spoon over the chicken & vegetable coconut curry and scatter over the reserved scallions to serve.

Prepare Ahead

This recipe works brilliantly in the slow cooker simply cook the chicken on low for 4 hours. This could be made in advance and once it had cooled down it would keep happily in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Just ensure that the rice is chilled down and stored within 2 hours. Reheat in the microwave once or in a saucepan and bring a fork if transporting.