Ingredients

• 10 chicken legs – skinned with shallow slits cut into the meat
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 5 dried Kashmiri chillies – more or less to taste
• 7 cloves garlic – smashed
• 1 x 2" piece of ginger – roughly chopped
• 2 large onions – roughly chopped
• 1 large tomato – diced
• 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander – finely chopped
• 100g block coconut
• Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Mix the chicken legs with the turmeric so that the legs are evenly coated with the turmeric. Set aside.
• Place the cumin, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and chillies in a frying pan and toast over medium high heat until warm and fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.
• Using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, grind all of these spices except for the chillies into a powder.
• Place the garlic, ginger and toasted red chillies in a small food processor and blend with a little water into a paste. Set aside.
• Now blend the onion and tomato together to form another paste.
• Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. When bubbles begin to form, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, toss in the curry leaves.
• Let these sizzle for about 30 seconds and then stir in the garlic, ginger and chilli paste.
• Fry, stirring continuously until oil begins to form on top and then pour in the onion/tomato paste mixture.
• Fry all this for about a minute and then add the chicken legs and the spice masala you made.
• If using block coconut, stir this in with most of the chopped coriander.
• Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through.
• Check for seasoning and add salt to taste and serve with plain white rice