Chicken Dhal Curry

Ingredients

300g chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces.
100g carrot
80g potato
50g long beans, cut into 4cm lengths.
1 tomato, quartered.
1 red and green chilli, seeds removed and halved.
80g Indian dhal, soaked for 1 hour.
2 cups thin coconut milk
2 tbsp thick coconut milk
4-5 tbsp oil Spices (A) – ground and combined
100g shallots
20g garlic
10g ginger
5 red chillies
5 dried chillies
4cm fresh turmeric (B)
1 tbsp cumin powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp fennel powder (C)
2 stalks curry leaves
3cm cinnamon stick
2 cardamoms, split to remove seeds.
2 star anise
3 cloves Seasoning
Salt and sugar to taste

Method

Put dhal into a saucepan, add more than enough water to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. Halfway through, add chicken and continue to cook for 30 minutes or until dhal is soft and chicken is tender. Heat oil in a pot. Add spices (A) and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add in (B) and (C) and continue to fry until fragrant. Put in carrot, potato and thin coconut milk. Bring to a simmering boil. Put dhal and chicken into the pot, add in long beans, chillies and the remaining thin coconut milk. Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes. Add thick coconut milk, salt and sugar to taste. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Dish out and serve.