Chicken pepper fry

Method

1. The night before: move the chicken from the freezer to the fridge to thaw.
2. On the raw-meat board, cut 560 g chicken into 4 cm pieces if needed. Put it in the pressure cooker with ¼ tsp turmeric, 1¼ tsp salt and 120 ml (about ½ cup) water.
3. Cook on medium until 1 whistle. Turn off and let the pressure drop by itself.
4. While it cooks, thinly slice 240 g (~1½ medium) onion and finely chop 20 g ginger and 8 cloves garlic. Crush 1 tbsp pepper coarsely in the mortar if it is whole.
5. Heat 1½ tbsp coconut oil in the kadai on medium. Add the onion and cook 8 minutes until golden.
6. Add the ginger, garlic and 1½ sprigs curry leaves and stir 1 minute. Turn to low, add 1 tbsp coriander powder and 1¼ tsp garam masala and stir 30 seconds.
7. Add the chicken with its liquid. Turn to medium-high and stir 6 to 8 minutes until the liquid is gone and the masala coats the chicken. Check the biggest piece has no pink and clear juices.
8. For a toddler, take out a few pieces now. Add the pepper to the rest and stir 2 minutes until dark and coated.
9. Turn off the heat and squeeze over juice from ½ lemon.

Tips

• Good cold or reheated in the next day's lunchbox with chapati. Refrigerate within an hour.

Make it easier

• Weekend: Cut chicken into curry pieces, rub with turmeric and salt, and freeze in meal-sized bags (label the day).
• The night before: Move tomorrow's chicken from the freezer to the fridge.

Keeping and freezing

• Fridge: keeps 3 days in a lidded box. Cool it within an hour of cooking.
• Freezer: freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot.

Good to know

• Toddlers: take their portion out before adding chilli or pepper.