Sri Lankan chicken curry

I'm not much of an expert on Sri Lankan food (or knowledgeable at all, really!). I'm still a novice when it comes to cooking dishes from this region, but my first attempt at cooking a Sri Lankan chicken curry turned out pretty nice. I served it alongside kottu roti (stir fried bread and vegetables, recipe to follow), which tends to be served on it's own as a tasty fast food meal. But I was greedy to try both!

Recipe

1 tbsp rice
1 tbsp desiccated (unsweetened) coconut
3 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
2-3 tsp sambal olek or minced fresh chillies
chicken pieces
2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
piece pandanus leaf
1 tbsp curry leaves
1/2 tsp lemongrass
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp salt

Brown the coconut and rice in a dry pan over low heat. Grind with the cardamom and cloves, then mix in the sambal olek / chilli, and enough water to make a paste.

Toss the chicken pieces with the spice paste and the cumin, coriander, chili powder, turmeric, cinnamon, and fennel.

Heat oil over medium heat, and add the onion, garlic, pandanus, curry leaves, lemongrass, mustard seeds and salt. Cook until the mustard seeds begin to pop, then add the chicken mixture and a little water. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is done (perhaps 30 minutes), adding more water as needed.

Serve with crusty bread to sop up the sauce, or rice, and a vegetable side dish.

Serves: 2-3
Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes