Curried Chicken With Coriander

1 onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, scraped and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1.5 kg/3 lb roasting chicken
1 bay leaf
3 parsley sprigs
3 lovage sprigs
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 black peppercorns
Sauce:
3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
25 g/1 or polyunsaturated margarine
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seed
/t teaspoon ground coriander
pinch of ground chilli
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon wholemeal flour
4 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
2 tablespoons chopped coriander or
3 tablespoons chopped basil

Put the vegetables in a saucepan with the chicken, bay leaf, parsley, lovage, salt and peppercorns. Pour in enough cold water just to cover the chicken and poach for 1 hour. Lift out the chicken when it is tender. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove all the skin and bones and cut the meat into neat small pieces. Set aside.

Strain the liquid in which the chicken was cooked, discarding the vegetables and herbs. Taste the stock: if it is too weak, reduce it by fast boiling until it has a good flavour. Measure off 600ml/1 pint.

To make the sauce, pour 300 ml/1/2 pint of the stock over the desiccated coconut in a bowl and leave for 15 minutes to form a coconut 'milk'. Melt the margarine in a large saucepan and cook the onion gently until pale golden, adding the garlic halfway through. Sprinkle on the curry powder and spices, stirring all the time. Pour on the remaining stock and stir until blended. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then add the lemon juice. Pour the coconut 'milk' through a sieve into the curry sauce, pushing lightly with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all the liquid. Stir the flour into the yogurt to make a smooth paste and add it to the curry sauce, continuing to stir until all is blended.

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce. Reheat, stirring, and finally acid the almonds and the coriander (or basil). Stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving. This dish should be accompanied by plain boiled rice.

SERVES 4