Ingredients

• 1.5 kg bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 3 onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 15 g fresh ginger
• 1⅓ tbsp Nigerian-style curry powder
• 1⅓ tbsp dried thyme
• 4 cubes seasoning cubes
• 1 L water
• 500 ml vegetable oil for frying the chicken
• 5 red bell peppers (tatashe)
• 6 ripe plum tomatoes
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers (ata rodo)
• 180 ml vegetable oil for the base
• 140 g tomato paste
• 3 leaves dried bay leaves
• 750 g long-grain parboiled rice
• to taste salt

Method

1. 01
   Marinate the chicken Rub the chicken with the crushed garlic, grated ginger, two teaspoons of curry powder, two teaspoons of thyme, two crumbled seasoning cubes and a little salt, then leave it to marinate for thirty minutes.
2. 02
   Boil the chicken Put the chicken in a pot with one chopped onion and one litre of water, bring it to a boil, then simmer for about twenty five minutes until just cooked through.
3. 03
   Strain and save stock Lift the chicken out onto a tray and pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a jug, keeping about seven hundred and fifty millilitres of stock for the rice.
4. 04
   Fry the chicken Heat the frying oil in a deep pan and fry the chicken in batches for about eight minutes per batch, turning once, until the skin is deep golden brown.
5. 05
   Blend the pepper base Blend the red bell peppers, tomatoes, scotch bonnets and half an onion until smooth, then boil the blend in an open pot for about twenty minutes until it thickens and much of the water is gone.
6. 06
   Fry the onions Heat the one hundred and eighty millilitres of oil in a large heavy pot and fry the remaining sliced onion for about three minutes until soft.
7. 07
   Fry the tomato paste Add the tomato paste and fry it, stirring often, for about seven minutes until it darkens to a deep brick red.
8. 08
   Fry the pepper base Stir in the reduced pepper blend with the bay leaves, the remaining curry powder, thyme and seasoning cubes, then fry for about twenty minutes until the sauce is thick and the oil floats on top.
9. 09
   Wash the rice Rinse the parboiled rice in several changes of water until the water runs almost clear, then drain it well.
10. 10
    Add rice and stock Pour seven hundred and fifty millilitres of the chicken stock into the base, taste for salt, then stir in the rice so the liquid just reaches the level of the rice.
11. 11
    Steam on low Cover the pot tightly with foil and then the lid, turn the heat to low, and cook for thirty minutes without opening.
12. 12
    Turn and finish Gently turn the rice from the bottom with a spatula, add a few tablespoons of stock only if the grains are still hard, cover again and cook for ten more minutes.
13. 13
    Toast the bottom Turn the heat up to medium and leave the pot covered without stirring for about five minutes so the bottom layer catches and gives the smoky party flavour.
14. 14
    Rest and serve Take the pot off the heat, let it rest covered for five minutes, then fluff the rice, remove the bay leaves and serve with the fried chicken.