Susan’s Chicken

After another wet, wintry start to the day, by just before mid-day it had brightened up and I set off to the Civic Centre to take Jackie her lunch which she had left in the fridge. This decided the direction in which I would take my walk today and I headed on through Morden for Morden Hall Park. Such apparently insignificant events often determine our paths through life.  Although it was now sunny it was very cold and I had to step it out to get warm.

Ragged robin surrounding the entrances and a coot incubating eggs in a nest in the middle of a stream welcomed visitors to this National Trust park.  Buttercups and daisies sparkled in the lawns, everything having that post-rain clarity.  Roses were in bud.  May and horse chestnut trees were blossoming and cow parsley was abundant.

This evening we dined on Susan’s chicken.  No, there is no grief-stricken child mourning the loss of her pet.  The recipe for this dish is contained in Lizzie Collingham’s book ‘Curry: a biography’.  The author has this to say: ‘This recipe was given to me by an Indian lady from Madras who had spent much of her life in Zambia.’  The book was given to me by Louisa several Christmases ago.

It is a tasy dish, a fusion between African and Indian cooking.  It is the only recipe I have ever seen which calls for powdered aniseed.  For a long time I had to make do without the aniseed, until I tracked it down in the wonderful, comprehensive, Spice Shop in Blenheim Crescent off the famous Portobello Road in W2.

I washed my meal down with some Marques de Montina 2007 reserve rioja while Jackie had her customary Hoegarten Blanche.