Akoho sy voanio - chicken in coconut milk - a recipe from Madagascar for a favorite dish

Three staple ingredients of Madagascan cuisine come together in one of the signature dishes from the large island off the eastern coast of Africa: chicken, coconut, and rice.  The recipe, in fact, is very closely akin to a curry from the Asian rim except for its rather stark lack of heavy spices, which really allows the simple ingredients to come together and really stand out.  This very simple, very delicious recipe is a real stand-out, and it is very easy to make.

Ingredients:

1. 1 chicken or the equivalent (roughly 2 pounds), particularly favoring thighs.  If a whole chicken is used, it should be cut into pieces;
2. 2 medium sweet onions, chopped;
3. 2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped;
4. 2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped;
5. 1 inch of fresh ginger root, sliced into thin coins, cut into matchsticks, or finely chopped;
6. 1 can of coconut milk (or the equivalent, roughly 16 oz, of homemade coconut milk);
7. Salt and black pepper, to taste;
8. 1-2 tablespoons of peanut, coconut, or canola oil for cooking;
9. 2 cups (dry) rice, prepared according to the package directions with some salt and pepper.

Directions:

1. If you're using brown rice, start it first.  If you're using white rice, wait until all of the ingredients are combined in the pot.
2. First cut the chicken into pieces if it is whole.  If boneless chicken is being used, cut it into one-inch cubes.  Season it lightly with salt and pepper, and then prepare all of the vegetable ingredients.
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot with a lid.  Add the chicken to the oil and brown it on all sides.
4. Add the onion and ginger and cook it until the onions are just translucent (3-5 minutes).  Then add the tomatoes and garlic with some salt and pepper.  Stir well and cover the pot, reducing the heat to just below medium.  Let it cook this way for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk, stir, and cover again.  Let the pot simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is quite tender.  If you're using white rice, just after the coconut milk is added to the pot is the perfect time to start the rice so that it finishes with the main dish.
6. Taste the mixture to test it for salt.  This dish is very flat if it isn't salty enough and unbelievably good if it is.
7. Spoon the mixture generously over the rice to serve.

Variations and suggestions:

• Seasoning the chicken with cayenne pepper instead of black pepper makes a nice variation on this recipe.  If you have a very light hand and enjoy a slightly more exotic flavor, season the chicken (before frying) very, very lightly with ground cinnamon as well as cayenne pepper.  The flavor is interesting and deep this way, but definitely do not overdo it!
• Garnish the dish with a sprinkling of chopped, roasted peanuts, a very common ingredient in Madagascan cooking.
• Consider a little more fresh tomato and sweet onion finely chopped as a topping, or slice cherry tomatoes (fresh from the garden, if possible!) in halves or quarters and place them around the edge and on top as a flavorful, beautiful addition.

Buy it locally: This recipe, despite being from almost half a world away, is suited perfectly to locally grown tomatoes from Blount, Knox, or Grainger Counties (or others, or from your home garden!).  Try to pick locally grown tomatoes and let this recipe be an excuse to get them.  They're, as everyone in Knoxville knows, ubiquitous throughout the summer months.  For a better taste you can really notice, consider getting a pasture-raised chicken from the regional (Sunbright, TN) Laurel Creek Pasture Raised Meats, available at the list of markets in Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and Maryville on this link and more often than not at The Market at Washington and High in Maryville.

For more great recipes and cooking ideas, follow the Knoxville Gourmet Food Examiner by subcribing at the top of the page. You can also read more on his personal cooking blog: The Untrained Gourmet.