Chicken Braised in Spiced Orange Sauce - with thanks to Rick Stein

I've been a huge fan of Rick Stein since his early and more hirsuit appearances in the Keith Floyd TV shows of the early 1990s. I've eaten in his restaurants (and his fish and chip shop!) bought his recipe books and avidly followed the various TV series. So I reckon he owes me one. So I'll take my payment in the form of this recipe if that's OK, Rick?

I was glued to the latest BBC TV Series, "Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey", and the book of the series was added to my ever-increasing collection just as soon as it was available. It's a weighty but very readable volume - as all the best cookery books are these days - not simply collections of recipes but with background and photography which brings the food to life and puts it firmly in its historical and geographical context.

Ever since the series aired I'd been wanting to cook his Duck Braised in Spiced Orange Sauce (p 75) which looked very tasty on TV, but I keep forgetting to pick up the requisite duck joints when I'm shopping. So this weekend I made a special trip out to pick up the ingredients for the recipe, but could I find duck joints anywhere? Nope. So I thought on my feet, and bought some chicken legs and thighs, and thought I'd try a poor man's version instead. And I have to say it was absolutely delicious.

There's a wealth of contrasting flavours in this dish - sweetness from the orange and sugar, sour from the fish sauce, spice from the star anise and subtle heat from the chillis, and they combine superbly in a mellow fruitfulness that Robert Browning would have died for.

So thanks for this Rick - please don't set your publishers on me, I'm posting this in praise and with respect to the master, and I have adapted it quite a bit! And I would urge everyone to buy the book - its a great read as well as an excellent reference guide to oriental cuisine generally.

Chicken in Spiced Orange Sauce (with thanks to Rick Stein)

Serves 2-3

Oil for Frying

6-8 Chicken Legs and Thighs

3-4 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1" piece of ginger, peeled and grated

500ml Orange Juice (I actually used half orange, half apple and mango which worked fine!)

2 tbsps Thai Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)

2 tsp sugar

3 Star Anise

2 Red Chillies (seeds in, finely chopped)

2 sticks lemon grass - cores finely chopped

2-3 Large Spring Onions, thickly sliced

1. Fry the chicken (in batches if necessary) in a little oil over a medium heat in a large pan until browned. Remove.

2. Turn the heat down and lightly fry (but do not burn) the ginger and garlic for a minute or so, then add the orange juice, sugar, fish sauce, star anise, chilli and lemon grass and season with black pepper. Stir well and heat through.

3. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is tender.

4. Add the spring onions 5-10 minutes from the end of cooking time.

5. Thicken if necessary with cornflour/cold water solution (I found this unnecessary as I was serving it with rice that would soak up any excess  liquid, although the sauce had naturally thickened anyway).

Goes really well with Thai rice and could also take a green vegetable on the side.