accomplished1 large cooking onion
1 large clove of garlic
50 g creamed coconut
250 g skinless chicken breast fillet or diced chicken
7 or 8 large ripe bananas, peeled
2 or 3 kaffir lime leaves
cumin seed, about 20 ml, or 10 ml seed and 10 ml ground
2.5 litres strong chicken stock
20 ml green Chartreuse liqueur
Angostura bitters
pink peppercorns to garnish.
Large cooking pot. Sharp knives/scissors. Stirring implement. A blender and a pestle and mortar for grinding cumin seed can be handy.
Coarsely chop the onion and garlic. Fry gently in a little oil until softened. Add cumin seed (about 10 ml) and the creamed coconut and cook a few minutes. Mash half the bananas with a fork, then add to the pot. Cook gently until the bananas are fully softened and incorporated. Add the stock and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. You can leave it overnight at this point if that's convenient for you. You may also put it through a blender, after having removed all but one of the lime leaves, if you want a smoother product.
Remove the lime leaves if you haven't blended the mixture, and discard. Grind the remaining cumin seed and add to the pot (or just add about 10 ml ground cumin). Chop or cut the chicken into thin slices (if you're using cubed, just cut them in half) and add to the pot. Thickly slice the remaining bananas, add, and bring to a rolling boil for ten minutes.
Remove from the heat. Check seasoning. Add Chartreuse, a couple of good dashes of Angostura bitters, and pink peppercorns to garnish. Serve with crusty bread.
