INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

POTATO STRAWS
Peel and cut the onions in half lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into
very fine half-rings.  Mix tomato paste and water.  Break up cinnamon stick
somewhat.  Peel ginger and grate finely.
Cut the chicken into serving pieces.  I say if you do it right, you get 11
pieces:  two wings, two drumsticks, two thighs, a back, two breast halves,
the  pulleybone, and the giblets.  This means cut it up yourself, rather
than leave it to some idiot with a meat saw at the supermarket.
Put the chiles, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cardamom pods and cloves into a
spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind as fine as possible.  If you
don't have a spice grinder, use a mortar and pestle and be prepared to take
forever getting the spices to the proper degree of powder. Put the chicken
in a large bowl, and add 1 t. of the ginger, 1/2 t. of the garlic, and half
the ground spices. Mix well with your hands, rubbing the seasonings into
the chicken. Set aside for 1 hour.
Put the apricots in a small pan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Turn
the heat down and simmer, uncovered, until the apricots are tender but not
mushy.  When the apricots are tender, turn off the heat and let the sit in
their own juice.
When the chicken is through marinating, heat the 6 T. of oil in a wok or
very large, heavy skillet.  When hot, put in the onions.  Stir and fry
until they turn a rich, reddish-brown color.  Turn the heat down to medium
and add the rest of the ginger and garlic.  Stir once or twice, and add the
remaining ground spices.  Stir once or twice and put in all the chicken.
Stir and brown the chicken lightly for 5 minutes. Now put in the tomato
paste liquid and the salt.  Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low,
and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar. Stir to mix.
Cover again and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and skim
off as much of the fat as possible.
Put the apricots into the pan with the chicken.  If the apricots were only
sitting in about 2 or 3 tablespoons of liquid, put that in the pan. If
there is more liquid than that, discard the extra.  Gently slip the
apricots in between the chicken pieces and let them soak in the sauce for
at least 3 minutes.
Make the potato straws:  fill a large bowl with about 2 quarts of water.
Add the salt and mix. Grate the potato as coarsely as possible. Put the
potato into the bowl of water. Stir the potatoes around with your hand. Now
remove the potatoes from the water, a handful at a time, squeezing out as
much water as possible. Spread the potatoes on a dish towel. Pat with paper
towels to dry off as much moisture as possible.
Pour vegetable oil into a wok or cast-iron frying pan to a depth of 2
inches.  Heat over a low heat, and let the oil heat slowly.   Don't try to
force it. When it is hot--this may be 10 minutes or so--put in a smallish
handful of the uncooked potato straws, which will begin to bubble. When
they stop bubbling, stir them until they are crisp and a pale gold color.
Remove with a wire spoon or slotted spoon and leave to drain on a plate
lined with paper towels. Continue and repeat until all the potato is used.
When ready to eat, put the chicken in a warmed serving dish and garnish
with the potato straws.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdja006.zip

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