Kaffir, Lime and Green Chilli Chicken

Kaffir, lime and green chilli chicken.
This is a sublime dish. Great in summer but I just fancied it.
It’s about lime, kaffir lime.

I have adapted the recipe using kaffir leaves and regular lemon as we can’t get the limes here for the zest.

It tastes amazing, heady kaffir fragrance, tangy lemon and chilli hit.
All three ingredients marry so well and what you have is this delicious light in taste but creamy sauce.

I would normally make it with chicken on the bone but went for boneless chicken thighs.
If I could just get you to smell the curry…you would be blown away with how aromatic it is!

The heat comes from just green chillies but as to my taste I have added a small carolina reaper for heat only.
Naga, scotch bonnet or floral peppers will diminish the kafir aroma.

This is divine😊

8 kafir lime leaves made into paste with 8 green chillies.
1 med onion made into paste.

For marinade

1 chicken in the bone
1/2 cup plain thick yogurt
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp black ground pepper
Juice of half lemon. Keep other half for later.
3 tbsp oil.
1/tsp tumeric
Half of the above chilli and kafir paste.

Mix altogether and chicken and set aside.

For Tempering

1/4 cup oil
8 whole peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamoms split
2 bay leaves

Spices For cooking

1/2 tsp tumeric
1.5 tsp coriander
Half tsp of cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp of cardamom powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Reaper pepper if you like heat.

Last stage

Half lemon juice
2 Slit green chillies
2 torn kafir lime leaves.

Method

Heat oil in pan.
Add spices for tempering. When aromatic add onion paste. Cook this for about 5 mins then add garlic,
ginger and remaining half of kafir and chilli paste.
Add salt and sugar. Cook this really well till oil is splitting. Keep adding splashes of water. You want rawness to go but have mellower aroma.

Now add splash of water and spice powders.
Cook this gently and slowly…
Keep adding water splashes…cook till oil splits…repeat couple of times.

Add chicken…stir well…cook for good 5 mins on high til oil splits.
Wash out marinade bowl with half cup of water…add chilli and kafir paste….other half lemon juice.
Add your Reaper…slit chillies and cook covered on med till chicken cooked and oil goes to top.

Just sprinkle the 2 torn kafir leaves…stir. taste.

Leave covered for short while.

serve.