Coconut Chicken with Papadum

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper and place in a bowl. Crush the cardamom in a mortar and add to the chicken along with the ginger, garam masala and cayenne pepper and mix well. Peel the banana and cut in half. Mash one half with a fork, cut the other half into slices.

Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water, transfer to a saucepan with twice the amount of lightly salted water, cover and simmer over low heat, until tender, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (approximately 400°F). Grease a baking dish. 

Rinse the eggplant, place in the baking dish and bake until beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

Toast the sesame seeds and nuts in a dry skillet until fragrant, remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet and saute the chicken 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the mashed banana, cook a minute or two and stir in the coconut cream. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, season to taste and keep warm.

For the papadam: In a small pan heat the oil and working in batches fry the papadam  until puffed, 5-7 seconds per side. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.