Chicken Colombo

📝 Ingredients

• 4 chicken legs (about 250 g each)
• 1 brown onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp turmeric + 2 tsp ground coriander + 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 aubergine (about 300 g)
• 1 courgette (about 250 g)
• 400 g potatoes
• 1 chicken stock cube + 400 ml hot water
• 1 lime
• 240 g long-grain rice
• 15 g fresh chives
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Saucepan
• Colander
• Bowl
• Chopping board and large knife
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Mix the turmeric, coriander, cumin and thyme in the bowl. Remove the skin from the chicken legs by pulling firmly, using kitchen paper to get a good grip, then cut each leg in two at the joint. Season with salt and pepper and rub with half the spices.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3 cm cubes. Cut the aubergine and courgette into 2 to 3 cm cubes, slice the onion and chop the garlic. Dissolve the stock cube in the 400 ml hot water.
3. Heat the oil in the casserole dish over a medium-high heat and brown the chicken pieces for 3 minutes on each side until well coloured (they won't be cooked through yet). Set aside on a plate.
4. Reduce to a medium heat, add the onion and soften it for 3 minutes, scraping up the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic and the rest of the spices and stir for 30 seconds without letting them burn: the spices should just become fragrant.
5. Add the aubergine, courgette and potatoes and stir for 2 minutes to coat them well in the spices. Return the chicken and its juices to the pot, pour in the stock and bring to a simmer.
6. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 35 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the meat comes away from the bone and the potatoes are meltingly tender. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs clear, then cook it for 11 to 12 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water (or according to the packet). Drain and keep warm, covered.
8. Off the heat, squeeze the lime over the colombo and stir. Taste and adjust the salt: the aubergine will have melted down and thickened the sauce. Scatter with snipped chives and serve with the rice.