Last week I met up with my old boss Jim Haynes to celebrate the life of John Hopkins, or Hoppy as everyone called him. Afterwards we repaired to Durbar, an old fashioned, fifty-year-old, family-run tandoori restaurant off Westbourne Grove.
Four of us thought we weren’t hungry until we started eating. Amazing breads and dal but this chicken dish cooked with lime, lemongrass and coconut, stole the show. Here is my version. Serve with rice.
Serves: 3-4 Prep: 20 min Cook: 45 min
1 onion, 150g; 1 garlic clove; 1 tbsp clarified butter; 600g chicken thigh fillet; ½ tsp ground coriander; ¼ tsp chilli flakes; 3 tbsp lime juice; 160ml can coconut cream; 200ml chicken stock; 2 lemon grass stalks; 25g coriander
1. Halve, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Melt the butter in a spacious, lidded frying or sauté pan, stir in the onion and garlic and cook gently, stirring often, while you slice the chicken into bite-size strips.
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2. When the onion is slippery soft but hardly coloured, increase the heat, stir in the chicken and cook until white and bouncy. Stir in the ground coriander and chilli, add 2 tbsp lime juice, coconut cream, stock and bruised lemon grass. Season lightly with salt, stir, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Chop the coriander, add to the pan and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for a further 10 minutes until thick and creamy. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Discard the lemongrass and serve immediately or reheat later.
View Times writers’ and readers’ pics of Lindsey Bareham’s recipes at thetim.es/foodflickr