Spicy chicken with basmati rice

Use spices in marinades to add instant flavour to grilled meat. Yoghurt is a great low-fat alternative to use in marinades and it combines especially well with spices. The acidity in yoghurt also acts as a softener of tougher meats without drying it out.

Serves 4

Nutritional content per portion:
1777kJ | 42g carbohydrate | 35g protein | 12g fat | 2g fibre

Ingredients:
½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ red chilli, seeded
juice of 1 lemon
5 cm piece ginger, grated
5 ml ground cinnamon
5 ml cumin seeds, toasted
3 ml turmeric
125 ml Bulgarian yoghurt
4 chicken breasts, cubed

Basmati rice:
1 T avocado oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, crushed
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
salt and ground black pepper

2 handfuls coriander, chopped + extra
50 g (½ packet) flaked almonds, toasted
fresh or dried coconut curls to serve

Instructions:
1. Start with the marinade: blend the onion, garlic, chilli, lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric together until finely chopped. Mix the yoghurt through. Stir the chicken through and marinade in the fridge for 3 hour or overnight.
2. For the basmati rice, heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir through. Add the water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, turn the heat off and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste.
3. Scrape the excess marinade of the chicken, remove the chicken and reserve the marinade. Simmer the marinade for 10 minutes in a saucepan. Heat a griddle pan over low-medium heat, spray the pan with a little oil using an oil spritzer and fry the chicken for 2 minutes each side until cooked through. Season to taste.
4. Mix the chicken through the cooked marinade sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix a handful of chopped coriander through the chicken.
5. Mix a handful of coriander and the almonds through the rice.
6. Serve the spicy chicken and basmati rice with fresh coconut shavings and coriander leaves.