Chicken with Apricots and Potato Straws (4)
Ingredients
For the Potato Straws:
Instructions
  1. Put the red chillies, cinnamon, cumin, cardamon and cloves in a grinder and grind to a fine powder.
  2. Put the chicken in a large bowl. Put 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp garlic and half the dry spice mixture on the chicken. Mix well with hands, rubbing the seasoning into the chicken. Set aside for an hour.
  3. Put the apricots in a pan with 3/4 pint water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  4. When the chicken has marinated heat 6 tbsps oil in a pan over a medium high heat. Add the onions and stir and fry until they are a rich reddish brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1/2 tsp garlic and 1 tso ginger and stir. Add the remaining dry spice mix, stir again, then add the chicken.
  5. Stir and brown for 5 minutes, then add the tomato puree mix and salt. Bring to the boil, cover, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar and stir, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes more. Turn off the heat and spoon off as much fat from the surface as you can.
  6. Add the apricots and their juice to the pan with the chicken – you want about 2-3 tbsps of the liquid only). Leave the apricots soaking for at least 30 minutes.
  7. To make the potato straws fill a large bowl with 3 pints of water then add the salt and mix. Grate the potatoes coarsely and put in the bowl of water. Stir well. Remove the potatoes, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Drain and dry on kitchen paper.
  8. Heat the oil slowly. When hot, add the potato straws and stir and fry until crispy pale and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on new kitchen paper.
  9. Heat the chicken through gently and serve with the potato straws.