Adapted from www.potjiekosworld.com

This was the centerpiece of our South African wine dinner in May 2015

Serves: 8
Ingredients
10 chicken thighs – bone in, skin on
1 T cooking oil
1 T butter
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 T root ginger (minced)
1 small jalapeno chili (minced)
2 onions (cut into rings)
5 cardamom pods, shucked and ground
1 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
3 tsp mild curry powder (go for medium if you’re into it)
½ tsp cloves
28 oz can chopped tomatoes
Mixed root vegetables cut in uniform chunks: carrots, parsnips, turnips, butternut squash
6 small potatoes cut into the same size chunks
1 cup chicken stock (optional)

Method
• Make spice mixture: Mince garlic, ginger, chili. Grind/measure: cardamom, coriander, curry powder, turmeric, salt and cloves and set aside. Add cinnamon and bay leaf at end.
• Heat oil and butter in heavy pot (in S. Africa they use a cast iron outdoor pot with a lid called a potjie) and brown the chicken a few pieces at a time. Remove the chicken, salt generously and set aside.
• Drain off excess fat leaving about 2 T. Add onion and cook until transparent.
• Add the spices (except cinnamon and bay leaf) to the onion and fry gently for 2 minutes.
• Place chicken on top of onions and then top with ½ can tomatoes.
• Arrange potatoes on top of tomatoes.
• Arrange mixed vegetables on top of potatoes.
• Throw in second half of tomatoes.
• Pour in the chicken stock.
• Add cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
• Cover with lid and simmer gently for 1 hour or more until chicken and potatoes are tender (do not stir).
• It is traditional to serve this with rice.
• Serve with sliced bananas, mangos and chutney as condiments.
• Great with a beet salad, corn bread and South African Chenin Blanc wine!