Ingredients...

• 3lb chicken in small pieces, skinned
• 4 whole dried hot red chilies
• 2" cinnamon stick, broken
• 1½ tsp. cumin seeds
• 7 cardamom pods
• 10 cloves
• 2 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic
• 4 oz pitted dried apricots
• 6 tbsp. vegetable oil
• ½lb onions cut in fine half rings
• 2 tbsp. tomato puree mixed with 8 fl oz hot water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. white malt vinegar
• 1½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 7 oz potato, peeled
• oil for deep frying

Instructions...

1. Put red chilies, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and cloves in a grinder and grind finely.

2. Put chicken in a big bowl. Put 1 tsp. grated ginger, ½ tsp. garlic and half the dry spice mix on the chicken. Mix well, rubbing seasoning onto the chicken. Set aside for one hour.

3. Put the apricots into a pan with ¾ pt water. Boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat and leave in juice.

4. When the chicken has marinated, heat 6 tbsp. oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir and fry until they are rich reddish brown. Turn heat to medium and add remaining garlic, ginger and dry spice mix. Stir, add chicken. Stir & brown for 5 mins.

5. Add the tomato puree mix and salt. Boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins. Add the vinegar and sugar and cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and spoon off as much fat as possible from the surface.

6. Put the apricots and 3 tbsp. of juice into the pan with the chicken and leave for at least 30 minutes.

7. Make potato straws. Fill a large bowl with 3 pts water. Add salt and mix. Grate potato coarsely, put into the bowl of water and stir. Remove the potato, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Drain and dry on kitchen paper.

8. Heat the oil slowly and when hot, add the potato straws. Stir and fry until crisp and pale golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Heat the chicken through gently and serve with potato straws.