Chicken vindaloo

Real vindaloo is traditionally made with pork or duck. I've previously provided a recipe that uses pork's wild cousin. It was significantly milder than this one is, so you can use the spices from that recipe in this recipe if you're not too keen on feeling the heat. And yes, you can substitute the chicken for duck.

Ingredients:
2 chicken marylands (legs), split into thighs and drumsticks, skinned
10 dried Kashmiri chillies
10 curry leaves
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 cloves
1 onion, sliced
1 small lump of ginger, peeled
1 small shard snapped from a cinnamon quill
1 star anise pod
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
apple cider vinegar, as necessary
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
oil
steamed rice, to serve

Soak the dried chillies in water to soften them. Season the chicken pieces with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt and set aside until needed.

Heat a generous splash oil in a saucepan. Fry the onion over low heat for ten minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, grind the cumin, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves in a mortar and pestle. Transfer the ground spices to a food processor and blitz along with the garlic, ginger, poppy seeds, paprika, mustard seeds and softened chillies. Gradually add the the apple cider vinegar, stopping when a thick paste forms.

When the onions are soft, add the tomato and the paste to the saucepan and fry for five minutes, stirring constantly. If the paste seems like it's drying out, add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Add the chicken and cook for five minutes. Add 600 mL water and the brown sugar and cover the saucepan. Simmer for 55 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and add the curry leaves. Simmer for a further 5 minutes and serve.

Rice is obviously a nice accompaniment, as are Indian breads and yoghurt.