Aromatic Sri Lankan-Style Chicken Curry

Before you start cooking, take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Add your basmati rice and 300ml [390ml] [600ml] cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-12 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered

While the rice is cooking, heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add your chicken thighs and cook for 3 min on each side or until golden

Meanwhile, peel your brown onion[s] and chop very roughly

Peel and slice your garlic roughly

Roughly separate your coriander leaves from their stalks and set them aside

Add the chopped onion, ginger paste, chopped garlic, cayenne pepper (can't handle the heat? Go easy!), curry powder and coriander stalks (reserve the leaves for garnish!) to a food processor

Blitz until smooth or very finely chopped – this is your Sri Lankan-style curry paste

Tip: No food processor? Chop everything up as finely as you can and mix it together!

Add the Sri Lankan-style curry paste to the browned chicken and reduce the heat to medium-high, then cook for 3-4 min

Boil half a kettle

Chop your creamed coconut roughly (if required!), then dissolve in 250ml [325ml] [425ml] boiled water

Add your red wine vinegar, soy sauce and 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] sugar – this is your coconut stock

Add the coconut stock and your cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook, covered, for 10-15 min or until a thick sauce remains and the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!)

While the curry is cooking, chop the reserved coriander leaves roughly

Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a clean board and shred it apart, using two forks – this technique is known as 'pulling'

Return the pulled chicken to the pan and season with salt and pepper – this is your Sri Lankan-style chicken curry