Wadali spiced roast chicken & coconut gravy

Preheat the oven to 150ºC, gas mark 2. Put the chicken on a board and push both onion halves, the garlic and thyme into the cavity.

Put all the spice oil ingredients in a blender or food processor and whizz to make a paste. Transfer the chicken to a deep roasting tin, then pour the spice oil all over, turning it around a couple of times to make sure it’s well coated. Give the bird a good sprinkle of salt, cover the whole tin with foil and slip it into the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the tin from the oven, take off the foil and baste the chicken with all the lovely cooking juices, then pour off the majority of the juices into a saucepan.

Return the chicken to the oven, increase the temperature to 220ºC, gas mark 7, and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through, ensuring the juices run clear and no pink meat remains. You may need to cook it for a further 10-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the creamed coconut to the juices in the saucepan and melt it over a low to medium heat, then add the coconut milk and give it a stir. Bring to a gentle simmer, tip in any remaining juices from the chicken and reduce over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes and – hey presto! – you have coconut gravy; season.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, scatter over the extra coriander leaves and serve with crunchy golden roast potatoes and all the other usual roast accompaniments – steamed greens, carrots, peas, Yorkshire puds, roast parsnips or whatever takes your fancy.