Chicken In Chili Coconut Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the shallots and cut them into 2 or 3 pieces. Lightly crush the garlic cloves to loosen the skin; discard the skin. Trim the lemon grass, discarding tough outer leaves, and cut the stems in 2 to 3 pieces. Put the shallots, garlic, lemon grass, nuts, turmeric, coriander, crushed red pepper, and half the oil in a food processor and work them to a puree.

Put the remaining oil in a saute pan or shallow flameproof casserole -- it should be large enough to hold all the chicken pieces touching the bottom so they cook evenly, covered in the sauce.

Add the pureed seasonings and spices to the hot oil and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. This mellows the flavor of the spices, but be careful not to let them toast.

Add the chicken pieces, skin-side down, and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once or twice to make sure they are well coated with seasonings. They will turn bright yellow from the turmeric.

Pour in the coconut milk and bring back to a boil. Cover the pan and cook in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the chicken pieces are very tender and fall easily from the prongs if you poke them with a carving fork.

At the end of cooking, the sauce should be quite thick and rich. If it has reduced too much the oil may have separated; if so, stir in 1/2 cup of warm water and you'll find it will reemulsify. Season the sauce to taste.

Serve the chicken from the casserole or transfer it to a serving dish.

This recipe yields 4 servings.