Food News

Curry chicken with escovitch pickle and mofongo recipe

04/07/2024

This recipe is a real showcase of the best of Caribbean cooking – spicy chicken curry, tangy escovitch pickle and mashed plantain mofongo.

You will need Andi Oliver’s green seasoning for this recipe.

Ingredients

For the chicken

For the escovitch pickle

For the mofongo

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, for frying
  • 200g/7oz streaky bacon, thinly sliced
  • 7 unripe green plantains or bananas, peeled and chopped into even-sized chunks
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
  • a handful of pork scratchings
  • 2 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lime, juice only
  • 4 tbsp caramelised onions
  • 2–3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley or coriander, to garnish
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add the green seasoning, salt and roughly half of the garlic and chili. Mix with your hands so that the chicken is well coated. Marinate the chicken in the fridge, ideally overnight or for a minimum of 30 minutes.

  2. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Fry the marinated chicken until nicely browned on all sides, then remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.

  3. Lower the heat to medium–low, then add the onion and remaining garlic and chili. Lightly fry for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add the curry powder and just a little splash of water, enough to form a paste. Gently cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the spices.

  4. Add the browned chicken back to the pan and stir well, making sure it is completely coated in the curry paste. Increase the heat to medium–high, add the stock, cover the pan and simmer for about 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through and tender. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the leg, between the drumstick and the thigh, is pierced with a skewer.

  5. To make the escovitch pickle, bring the vinegar, sugar, spices and 3½ tablespoons water to a simmer in a sauce pan over a medium heat, stirring a little to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add all of the remaining ingredients to the pan. Leave to cool and pickle. Stir in the shaved coconut.

  6. To make the mofongo, heat the neutral oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crispy. Turn off the heat, remove the meat to a plate and set aside. Leave the fat that has come out of the meat in the pan to make a sauce later.

  7. Soak the plantain in a bowl of seasoned water with a large pinch of salt for 15 minutes. The salty water will season the plantains or bananas and take away some of the chalkiness. Drain and dry them well using kitchen paper.

  8. Heat a generous splash of neutral oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium–low heat. Fry the plantains for about 10–15 minutes until soft and lightly golden brown. Drain the excess oil on kitchen paper and set aside to cool.

  9. Add the garlic, bacon, pork scratchings and extra virgin oil to a large bowl and mash them together using the end of a rolling pin or a pestle. Gradually add the cooked plantain and continue to vigorously mash until everything is thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper and add the lime juice to taste. Pack individual portions of the mixture into 6–8 small bowls or dessert molds and flip onto serving plates. Garnish with the caramelised onions and coriander.

  10. Garnish the chicken curry with the coriander, spring onions and green chili. Serve the curry and pickle on the plates with the mofongo.

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