Kuku paka

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.5 kgchicken pieces, on the bone, skin removed

Marinade

• juice of 2 limes
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbspgrated ginger
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspoil

Sauce

• 2 tbspoil
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbspgrated ginger
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 2green chillies, chopped
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1/2 tspgaram masala
• 800 mlthick coconut milk
• salt

To finish

• a large handful of coriander, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 3hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 2potatoes, boiled and halved, if wanted

To serve

• chapati
• or steamed rice

Directions

1. Remove the skin, since it will not crisp under the sauce and turns flabby. Slash each piece two or three times down to the bone. Mix all the marinade ingredients into a paste. Rub it into the chicken, working it into the slashes.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. There should be no flames, since flames scorch without cooking. Lay the chicken pieces on the grill. Turn them every four or five minutes. Grill them for about twenty minutes in total. They should be well charred in patches but not cooked through. Set the grill to its highest setting and get the chicken close to it.
3. Warm the oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook them for twelve minutes. Cook them well past soft, until they are golden and jammy. Add the garlic, ginger and chopped green chillies. Cook them for two minutes until fragrant.
4. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala. Fry the spices for a minute so they lose their raw edge. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them down for six minutes. Now the coconut milk, which needs gentle treatment.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and stir it through. Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Season it with salt and let it simmer for five minutes. Add the charred chicken pieces to the sauce. Turn them so they are coated and mostly submerged. Add any juices from the grilling tray. Simmer gently for twenty-five minutes.
6. Turn the pieces once halfway through. The chicken will finish cooking and take up the sauce. Add the boiled potato halves after fifteen minutes. Add the halved hard-boiled eggs for the last five minutes only. Now the consistency, which should be thick.
7. Simmer it uncovered a little longer if it is too thin. Now finishing, which is done off the heat. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Squeeze the lime juice over the whole dish. Stir the chopped coriander through it. Taste it and adjust the salt and lime. Serve it hot with chapati or rice.

Technique

• Char the chicken over charcoal first; the smoke is the character of the dish.
• Never let the coconut milk boil, since it splits into oil and curds.
• Lime juice off the heat at the end is what lifts the richness.

Substitutions

• A very hot oven grill in place of charcoal, though the smoke is lost.
• Tinned full-fat coconut milk, which is what most cooks use.

Variations

• With fish in place of chicken, which is common on the coast.
• Without the eggs, which some households leave out.
• Hotter, with more chilli, as it is often made in Mombasa.

History

A Mombasa dish of the coastal Indian and Swahili communities: chicken grilled then finished in a thick coconut and lime sauce.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kuku paka?

Kuku paka is a main from Kenya: coastal chicken curry in charred coconut sauce. A Mombasa dish of the coastal Indian and Swahili communities: chicken grilled then finished in a thick coconut and lime sauce.

How long does Kuku paka take to make?

Kuku paka takes 30 min plus 2 hours marinating of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kuku paka?

Yes, within limits. A very hot oven grill in place of charcoal, though the smoke is lost. Tinned full-fat coconut milk, which is what most cooks use.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kuku paka?

Pour in the coconut milk and stir it through. Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Season it with salt and let it simmer for five minutes. Add the charred chicken pieces to the sauce. Turn them so they are coated and mostly submerged. Add any juices from the grilling tray. Simmer gently for twenty-five minutes.