African chicken with rice

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g turkey breast
• 4 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 celeriac
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 red chili pepper(s)
• 1 small ginger root
• 3 small cucumbers
• 500 ml pineapple pieces from the can, sugared
• 4 tbsp, heaped curry powder, possibly up to 5 tbsp
• 2 tbsp mango chutney
• 1 cup raisins, preferably sultanas, approx. 150 ml
• 1 cup chicken broth made from demi-glace or granulated broth, approx. 200 ml
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup peanuts, preferably unsalted, approx. 200 ml
• 1 organic lemon(s)
• Salt and pepper, from the mill
• Mint, fresh, optional
• 500 ml basmati rice

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Cut the turkey into approximately 4 cm pieces. Roughly chop the onions and garlic. Cut the bell peppers into 1 cm pieces, as well as the cucumbers and celery. Finely chop the chili pepper and ginger. Gather salt, pepper mill, curry powder, raisins, an opened can of pineapple, mango chutney, basmati rice, organic lemon, peanuts, peanut oil, mint (optional), butter, and flour. Heat a cast iron pot gently. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it, then stir in the flour with a spatula. As soon as everything is combined, immediately remove the pot from the heat and set it aside in a cool place. Now, using the spatula, stir in all the pineapple juice from the can until the mixture is smooth. Return the pot to the stove over low heat. The mixture should be much too thick for a sauce! Stir in salt, pepper, mango chutney, chicken stock (if you don’t have demi-glace, just use granulated stock), crushed garlic, and four to five heaped tablespoons of curry powder. Let the sauce simmer gently. And again: It should look too thick! Simmer extremely gently, really. Measure out 500 ml (yes, ml!) of basmati rice. Pour 550 ml of water into a regular saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt, a knob of butter, and the rice; stir. Cover the pan, but constantly check that the rice is just simmering, not bubbling. Heat an iron skillet to very high. Heat the peanut oil to high. Add a knob of butter. Fry the turkey cubes in it. When the meat is lightly browned, add the cubes to the simmering sauce, preferably without any fat (so use a slotted spoon). Depending on the size of the pan, brown the meat in two or three batches so it caramelizes and doesn’t boil in the juices, then add it to the sauce. In the same pan, gently roast the onions, ginger, and chili. Then add the celery and bell peppers. Turn off the heat. After the meat has cooked in the sauce for 10 minutes, stir the contents of the pan into the meat pot. Add the pineapple chunks and about a cup of raisins. Grate the lemon zest over the meat. Let it simmer, not boil! After 20 minutes, remove the lid from the rice. Remove the rice from the bottom of the pot and place the pot uncovered over low heat. Lightly toast the peanuts in a nonstick frying pan without any fat. Season the sauce to taste. A generous squeeze of lemon juice is usually needed. After 25-30 minutes, stir the peanuts and cucumbers into the pot. Sprinkle the chopped mint and celery leaves over the dish, if desired. I recommend this. Serve with rice and African chicken.