Rice-stuffed chicken with coconut-poached taro

• serves

  4-6

Ingredients

Coconut taro
8 small sweet white taro

1 litre coconut milk

2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded

1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

1 large brown onion, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

100g plain flour

Water to make flour paste

Stuffed chicken

1 whole chicken (No 18)

1.5 cups cooked long grain rice

2 limes - quartered

Flaked sea salt

Cracked pepper

Kaffir lime leaf, finely chopped

1 mild fresh chilli, chopped

100ml olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 small knob ginger, finely diced

Instructions

Cocunut Taro

Peel the taro and leave whole. Place onions in the base of a saucepan (with a lid) and add the coconut milk, chopped lime leaves, garlic and lemongrass. Place taro into the mixture, ensuring that they are covered completely.

Make a paste out of the flour by adding water. Rub the paste around the saucepan lid and press down hard. Place in a hot oven at 200 - 250°C and check after 25 – 30 minutes.

Stuffed Chicken

Mix rice, lime quarters, garlic, ginger, lime leaf, chilli and seasoning.

Stuff chicken with rice mixture. Rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place in hot oven for about 1 hour.

To serve, place chicken on a platter.

Drain taro, reserving the liquid. Place taro on plate and drizzle the poaching liquid over it.

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.