Massaman Chicken Curry - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
1/4 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 red chili pepper, seeded and finely sliced
4 golden shallots, finely sliced
3 cm gingerroot, peeled and finely sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, white section only, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tablespoon peanuts, unsalted and roasted
500 g chicken thigh fillets, fat and skin removed
1 tablespoon light olive oil or 1 tablespoon cooking spray
270 ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
100 g potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
2 cardamom pods
30 ml fish sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
coriander leaves
1 tablespoon peanuts, unsalted and roasted

Preparation

Par boil the potatoes, drain and set aside.
To make the paste, place the peppercorns, cinnamon, cumin and corriander in a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until aromatic.
Cool the spice mixture, then add it to a food processor, together with the chilli, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, garlic and peanuts. Process until you have a smooth paste.
Add the oil to a large, heavy based pan, and heat on a medium heat.
Add the chicken pieces, and cook until browned. You might need to do this in batches.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Still on a medium heat, add the spice mixture and fry gently for about 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
I like my curry paste super-smooth, so at this stage I remove from heat, cool for a few minutes and then add to a blender, and blend the coconut milk and spice mixture until it's a smooth, creamy mix. Return to the pan. This step is entirely optional.
Add the sugar to the coconut milk mixture, and cook on medium for a further 3 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and add in the potatoes, bay leaf, cardamon pods, fish sauce and tamarind.
Bring to the boil, then reduce and gently simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken and potatoes are cooked.
Add the extra peanuts 5-10 minutes before finish cooking.
Serve with steamed rice and/or roti.