A chicken coconut curry was always the plan. What I hadn't planned was spending the better part of a hot August afternoon wrestling a fresh coconut into submission on the Casa Adora kitchen worktop.

Fresh coconut is a different proposition from the tin. Coconut milk from a can lifts everything it touches — fish, meat, vegetables — into something with a genuine Asian or Caribbean edge. A whole fresh coconut requires time, patience, a remarkable number of kitchen utensils, and generates washing up on an industrial scale. It is also, I can confirm, entirely worth it.

Chicken and Coconut Curry — Fresh Coconut, Casa Adora Style

The pragmatic approach starts with a corkscrew. Drain the coconut water first — one cup contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana, which felt like justification enough for the mess that followed. Several firm smashes with the back of a cleaver and the coconut split into two halves.

The trick at that point is the oven. Place both halves cut-side up in a hot oven for fifteen to twenty minutes and the white flesh pulls away from the shell with considerably less effort and considerably less swearing than any other method I have tried. Grate what you need and set it aside.

The chicken coconut curry itself is quick — the prep takes longer than the cooking. A lime juice marinade with ground ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander and cardamom, then browned off with onion, chilli and tomato, finished with coconut milk and garam masala. Fresh coriander at the end. A grating of fresh coconut over the top if you have it, which on this occasion I did.

Serve with rice or naan. The coconut shells, if you are that way inclined, make excellent hanging baskets. Or Zen bowls. Just saying.

How to Make a Chicken Coconut Curry for One

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken leg or breast, skinned
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 2 cardamom pods, bashed
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 red chilli, chopped (seeds in or out)
• 1 ripe tomato, skinned and deseeded
• 150ml coconut milk
• ½ tsp garam masala
• Fresh coriander
• A little fresh coconut, grated — if you have it
• Oil for cooking

METHOD

1. Toss the chicken in the lime juice with the ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander and bashed cardamom pods. Leave to marinate for a few minutes while you prepare everything else.
2. Sauté the sliced onion in a little oil until soft. Add the chopped chilli, then the chicken, and brown off on all sides.
3. Add the tomato and stir to combine.
4. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer uncovered for twenty minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
5. Stir in the garam masala and fresh coriander.
6. Finish with a grating of fresh coconut if you have it. Serve with rice or naan.

FOOTNOTE This recipe is part of my Curry Recipes collection — a growing collection of curry recipes cooked and perfected at Casa Adora in rural Andalucía. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef