Guinea Fowl Pepper Fry

Marinate. Toss the meat with the turmeric (½ tsp), salt (1 tsp), ginger-garlic paste (1 tbsp) and black pepper (1 tsp) and leave 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.

Pepper masala. Toast the black peppercorns (1½ tbsp), fennel seeds (1 tbsp), coriander seeds (1 tbsp), cinnamon (1), cloves (4 cloves) and green cardamom pods (3) in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind coarsely.

Cook the meat. Simmer the leg pieces, covered, in ½ cup water for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender; guinea fowl legs are tougher than chicken. Add the breast pieces for the last 6 to 8 minutes only, as they dry out fast. Keep the liquid. With chicken thighs, simmer everything together about 15 minutes.

Build the masala. Heat the coconut oil (40 g3 tbsp) in a wide pan. Fry the coconut slivers (¼ cup), if using, until golden, then add the curry leaves (2 sprigs), shallots (150 g) and green chilies (2) and cook until the shallots are deep golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste (1 tbsp) for 1 minute, then the Kashmiri chili powder (½ tsp) and 2 to 3 tbsp of the pepper masala.

Dry-roast. Add the meat and its liquid. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring and scraping, until the liquid is gone and the masala coats every piece, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more masala for more heat and season with salt.

Finish. Top with fresh cracked pepper and the crisp curry leaves, squeeze over a little lime, and serve with warm paratha.