Put the kettle on. Then, using a pair of scissors, cut the chillies up into 2-3 pieces, straight into a bowl.
20 dried red chillies, 500 ml very hot water for soaking chillies and tamarind
Pour the hot water onto the cut chillies, leaving a little for the tamarind below. Cover with a side plate and leave to soak for at least 15 minutes, while you get everything else ready.
Soak and Prep the Tamarind
Place the tamarind pulp into a small bowl and pour the hot water over it, ensuring that it's covered. Leave it aside until you need it during cooking.
2 heaped Tbsp tamarind pulp
When it's time to use it, all we're going to do is mash the now soft pulp with our fingers, grab the pulp, seeds and any fibre and throw them away.Then we'll just pour the tamarind juice over the sambal. You could strain it, but it has to be a medium mesh strainer, so you don't miss out on all the good stuff.Click here to read up on how to use tamarind.
Make the Spice Paste
Peel the onion and quarter it.Peel the garlic.Top and tail the 6 lemongrass stalks and thinly slice 5 of them in rings.Bruise the other one and set aside, don't add it to the food chopper.Scrape the galangal skin off and slice into thin rings.Click here for how to prepare lemongrass for its various uses.Or watch me showing it on YouTube.Place everything into a food chopper, except for the bruised lemongrass.
1 lemongrass, 1 medium onion, 5 medium cloves garlic, 5 stalks lemongrass, 5 cm galangal
Drain the soaking dried chillies and give them a quick rinse, shaking out the seeds if you want to. Tip the drained chillies into a blender.
Add the turmeric powder to the chopper too. Chop everything until you have a fairly fine paste. Don't worry too much about the odd piece of chilli.
½ tsp turmeric powder
Let's get Cooking
Heat the oil on medium heat in a wok or saucepan and fry the spice paste and bruised lemongrass for 2 minutes until fragrant.
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Add the chicken portions and coat them with the spice paste.
750 g chicken portions on the bone
Pour in the coconut milk, water and tamarind juice. Tear the lime leaves once on each side and drop 4 of them into the wok/saucepan, along with the salt.Mix well and bring to a simmer.
125 ml coconut milk, ¼ cup water, 6 kaffir lime leaves, ½ tsp salt
Cover and cook for 30 minutes until the chicken is done. Boneless chicken will only need 20 minutes, chicken legs will need 45 minutes.Add the last 2 kaffir lime leaves 5 minutes before the end of cooking time.
Check seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Turn the heat off and finish with stirring in the lime juice. How much lime juice is up to you. Add 1 Tbsp, taste and add more if you like. I use all of it.Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving hot.