Celebrate with SPICE

Brighten up winter evenings with the company of friends and Sri Lankan recipes from Karan Gokani, co-founder of Hoppers restaurants

- Karan Gokani

Kalupol roast chicken

You can see conversations stop and eyes follow the plate every time a waiter walks one of these through our tiny Soho restaurant. This recipe has been adapted for an oven, but is just as effective. To make it traditional, serve with a sambol or mallung, curry sauce and pol rotis.

SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins plus cooling and overnight marinating COOK 1hr15 mins EASY

1.2-1.5kg chicken sambol or mallung, green curry sauce and pol rotis, to serve (optional)

For the marinade

1 tbsp basmati rice

1 tbsp grated fresh coconut

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

¾ tbsp chilli powder

3 tbsp roasted curry powder (see recipe, below)

1 lemongrass stick

8-10 curry leaves

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 For the marinade, toast the rice in a wok over a medium-high heat for 5 mins. Add the coconut and toast for 10 mins more until both the rice and coconut are deep golden brown. Be careful not to burn them.

2 Cool, then transfer to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and crush to a fine powder. Add the remaining marinade ingredients and 1 tsp salt, and grind to a paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken, then cover and refrigerate overnight.