Coconut Chicken With Sri Lankan-Style Aubergine Curry And Brown Rice

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6, boil half a kettle and take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Rinse your brown rice, add it to a pot with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20-25 min or until it's tender with a slight bite

Once cooked, drain, return it to the pot and keep covered until serving

Chop your creamed coconut roughly (if required!) and add to a bowl with half your ground turmeric and half your curry powder (you'll use the rest later!)

Add 50ml [65ml] [85ml] boiled water and a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then stir until the creamed coconut has fully dissolved – this is your coconut marinade

Once dissolved, add your chicken to the marinade and give everything a good mix up until fully coated

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add the coated chicken to the pan and cook for 3-5 min on each side or until lightly browned

While the chicken is cooking, trim the green stalk[s] off your aubergine[s] and chop, lengthways into bite-sized pieces

Once the chicken has lightly browned, transfer it to a baking paper-lined baking tray (save the pan!) and put the tray in the oven for 18-20 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your coconut chicken

Return the reserved pan to a high heat and add the chopped aubergine with a pinch of salt

Cook for 4-5 min or until slightly softened and charred

Meanwhile, reboil a kettle

Crush your cardamom pods open by squashing them with the side of a knife

Discard the outer green pods

Dissolve your chicken stock mix in 400ml [600ml] [800ml] boiled water

Once the aubergine is charred, add your ginger & garlic paste with your tomato paste and cook for 1-2 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add your black mustard seeds, cardamom seeds, chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!), remaining curry powder and ground turmeric to the pan, mix it all together and cook for 30 secs until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the chicken stock with 2 tsp [3 tsp] [4 tsp] sugar and bring to the boil

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 12-15 min or until the sauce has reduced and the aubergine is very tender – this is your Sri Lankan-style aubergine curry