- 150g white basmati rice
- 250g diced chicken leg
- 1 onion
- 1 red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 chilli
- 6 curry leaves
- 1 tsp jerk seasoning
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 400g tin of red kidney beans
- A handful of thyme
- 1 lime
- 200ml coconut milk
- A handful of coriander, leaves only
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp cold water
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 200ml warm water
- 150ml boiling water
- 1.
Tip the rice into a bowl. Cover with cold water. Set aside to soak while you start the chicken stew
- 2.
Warm 2 tsp oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the chicken for 8–10 mins till golden brown. Stir now and then so it colours evenly. Lift the chicken out onto a plate.
- 3.
While the chicken fries, peel and finely chop the onion. Halve the pepper and scoop out the seeds and white pith. Finely chop it. Add the onion and pepper to the pan with 2 tbsp water. Season. Turn the heat down to low and gently fry for 5 mins till the veg are soft and glossy. Stir now and then.
- 4.
Peel and crush the garlic. Halve the chilli. Scoop the seeds and white pith out of one half and finely chop it. Keep the other half whole.
- 5.
Add the garlic and chopped chilli to the pan with 6 curry leaves and 1 tsp jerk seasoning. Fry and stir for 1 min till the pan smells aromatic.
- 6.
Stir the chicken back into the pan. Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Half-fill the tin with warm water (around 200ml) and pour into the pan. Cover and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down. Simmer for 15 mins. Stir now and then.
- 7.
While the stew cooks, drain the rice. Tip into a medium pan. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add them to the pan with the thyme sprigs and the remaining chilli half. Finely grate in the lime zest. Halve the lime and slice one half into two wedges. Add them to the rice.
- 8.
Pour in the coconut milk. Add 150ml boiling water and a pinch of salt. Stir, cover and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down. Simmer for 8-10 mins till the water and coconut milk have been absorbed and the rice is tender.
- 9.
Lift the thyme sprigs, chilli half and lime wedges out of the rice. Scoop into 2 warm bowls. Ladle over the stew. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with the remaining lime, sliced into wedges, for squeezing.