Ixta's Coconut Chicken with Charred Okra

Recipe by

Ixta Belfrage

Serves

Difficulty

Intermediate

Ixta's Coconut Chicken with Charred Okra

Photo by:

Kim Lightbody and Pedro Pinho

Recipe excerpted from Fusão: Untraditional Recipes Inspired by Brasil by Ixta Belfrage with photographs by Kim Lightbody and Pedro Pinho, published by Interlink Publishing Group.

Chicken and okra is a combination that can be found in many different cuisines-Indian, Chines, West African, Creole, to name a few. In Brazil, frango com quiabo (chicken with okra) is a typical dish from the state of Minas Gerais, with roots in the West African cooking (okra is native to West Africa and was brought to Brazil during the slave trade. This version is inspired by (but very different to) the classic dish. Untraditionally, it features coconut milk in the sauce and coffee in the marinade, and rather than cooking the okra in the sauce (which makes it soft and slimy), I char it and serve it on top to preserve crunch.

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks
1 Scotch bonnet Chile, whole (optional)

FOR THE SAUCE

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Urfa pepper
1 tsp ground coffee
1 tsp Surya Salt or fine sea salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
About 20 twists of freshly cracked Aranya Black Pepper

FOR THE MARINADE

1 x 14oz (400g) can of full-fat coconut milk
5 ¼oz (150g) sweet cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and quartered (6oz/ 170g)
3 small garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp Basiya Ginger
1 Scotch bonnet Chile, deseeded and finely chopped (or a milder Chile if you prefer)
2 tbsp honey (or maple/agave syrup)
1 tbsp red palm oil or coconut oil
1 ½ tsp Surya Salt or fine sea salt
1 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp medium curry powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp Pragati Turmeric
About 50 twists of freshly cracked black pepper (¼ tsp)

TO SERVE

5oz (140g) okra, halved at an angle
Olive oil
½ oz (15g) picked cilantro leaves
½ oz (15g) scallions, green ends thinly sliced
2 limes, halved
Rice or flatbreads

Methods

Put the chicken and all the marinade ingredients into a large bowl and mix very well to coat the chicken evenly.
Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Heat a 10 in (26 cm) wide high-sided pot, for which you have a lid, on high heat. Once hot, add the chicken drumsticks, spaced apart as much as possible. Fry for about 8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes until browned all over.
Pour the sauce into the pot and mix so all the chicken drumsticks are coated. Add the whole Scotch bonnet (if using), cover with a lid and cook on high for 5 minutes. Lower the heat all the way down and cook for another 40 minutes, until the chicken is very soft. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze the Scotch bonnet into the sauce to release its flavor (if using).
Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on high heat. Toss the okra with a little oil and fine salt, then add to the hot pan. Cook for about 6 minutes, turning a few times until charred all over. In a separate bowl, toss the charred okra with the cilantro and scallions.
Squeeze the juice of ½ a lime over the chicken, top with the okra and herbs and serve with rice or flatbreads and the rest of the limes.
Note: The marinade will make the pot a bit smoky. so make sure to open windows and turn on the extraction.

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