Cari Poulet

My sister Kate has lived on a small island off the coast of Madagascar for the past year and a half. The food on her island was a bizarre blend of French food, Creole, Malagasy and Indian cuisine. On her way home to the USA, she visited us here in Finland and we made this traditional creole dish:

Cari poulet is French for curry chicken, but everything sounds prettier in French, so cari poulet it is. The dish was great and it was fun to experiment with the local spices she picked up from the island. What really knocked it out of the park was the hot sauce and beans, so be sure to make the complete meal.

1-2 Tbsp oil

3-4 chicken legs (skinless)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

5-6 tomatoes, diced

1/2 tsp curcuma (Tumeric)

enough water so the chicken is mostly covered in the pot

salt and pepper to taste

Hot Sauce: (combine into a bowl)

1/2 onion, finely minced

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tsp salt

2-3 finely diced tomatoes

chili paste to taste (we used Pimo from Reunion island, use as much as desired...)

Beans: (Saute oil, onion and garlic in a pan until soft, add beans and cook until heated through)

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup kidney beans, drained but not rinsed

In a large pot, sear the chicken legs in olive oil on high until cooked. Then add minced garlic and diced onion, and stir until fragrant. Then add tomatoes, curcuma, enough water to cover the chicken and salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low for 45 minutes, then serve on rice accompanied with hot sauce and beans.