Nani's White chicken with cauliflower

White chicken is familiar across Indo-Fijian households, relying on the gentle aromatic quality of a mixture of whole spices rather than being defined by Fijian curry powder. The gravy is light yet fragrant, coating tender chicken and cauliflower, as Fuzz Ali's grandmother made it. Ali says there is no one correct way, 'other than that it must be shared for it to have achieved its purpose'.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 1 whole cauliflower, broken into florets
• 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, roughly diced
• 2 bulbs garlic, cloves peeled
• 4-5 red chillies, seeds removed to taste
• 2.5 cm piece ginger, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 4-5 cardamom pods
• 2-3 star anise
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ¼ cup ghee
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Generous of handful coriander, chopped
• Salt, to taste
• Pinch of sugar, to taste

Instructions

1. In a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt, crush the garlic, chillies and ginger into a rough paste. Set aside.
2. Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the curry leaves, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, cardamom pods, star anise, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry for 30 to 60 seconds, or until the spices are fragrant and sizzling.
3. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelised and golden. Add the diced tomato, season with salt and a pinch of sugar, and cook for a few minutes until the tomato softens and begins to break down into the onions.
4. Stir in the garlic, chilli, and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the turmeric powder and ground black pepper, mixing well so the spices coat the onion mixture.
5. Add the chicken drumsticks to the pan and turn them through the spiced onion base until well coated. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and let the chicken cook gently for 20 to 30 minutes without interruption, or until the meat is cooked through and tender, releasing its juices into the sauce.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, stir through the chopped coriander. Add the cauliflower florets, mixing them into the pan so they are coated in the sauce and nestled around the chicken. Increase the heat to high, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just fork‑tender but still holding its shape.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or a touch of sugar if needed. The curry should be pale and glossy from the ghee, with soft chicken, tender cauliflower and whole spices peeking through.
8. Serve hot with steamed rice or soft roti, making sure everyone gets a little of everything; chicken, cauliflower and plenty of that rich, aromatic white gravy.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.