Malaysian Curried Coconut Chicken Rendang

I love curries, all kinds.  This one is from Malaysia.  Curry pastes from all over the world are now readily available in the grocery stores.  But, I often like to make my own, from scratch...

 To serve six.


Ingredients
3     tbsp Madras curry powder
2     tsp black pepper
2     stalks lemongrass, bottom 2/3 only, bruised and cut into 4" pieces
2     tbsp fresh lime juice
1/3  cup grapeseed oil, plus 2 tablespoons
salt
3     lbs chicken thighs
2     onions
1     red onion, quartered
5     garlic cloves
6     1/4-inch slices of peeled fresh ginger
3     macadamia nuts
5     dried Asian chiles
1     can coconut milk
1     tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the curry powder, pepper, lemongrass, lime juice and 2 tbsp of oil.  Season with salt.  Add the chicken, turn to coat and refrigerate for four hours.

In a food processor, puree the onions, garlic, ginger, nuts and  chiles to make the paste.

Browning the chicken

Simmering the chicken

In a deep skillet, heat the remaining 1/3 cup of oil  Fry the chile paste over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about five minutes.  Add the chicken with its marinade; cook over moderate heat until the chicken is browned and nearly cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, sugar and coconut and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, until the chicken id tender and the sauce is very thick, about 25 minutes.  Spoon off as much oil as possible, discard the lemongrass.  Season with salt and pepper.