A fragrant, golden-roasted chicken infused with Cape Malay spices, served with fluffy couscous studded with sweet apricots and toasted almonds. Delicious with a glass or two of our Mundus Vini Best of Show 2024 Culinaria Chenin Blanc.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 60 minutes Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

Chicken & Roasted Carrots

1 large whole free-range chicken

¼ C (60 ml) Cape Malay curry spice mix* (see note at the end if you prefer to mix your own)

2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

400 g baby carrots, peeled

1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil

1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey

½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt

Apricot & Almond Couscous

½ C (125 ml) water ½ tsp (2,5 ml) liquid chicken stock ½ C (125 ml) couscous

¼ C (60 ml) almonds, toasted and chopped

⅓ C (80 ml) dried apricots, cut into small pieces ⅓ large cucumber, chopped into small cubes 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

1 Tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley

Juice of ½ a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Tangy Yoghurt Dressing

½ C (125 ml) plain Greek yoghurt

Juice of ½ lemon

1 Tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley

½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt ½ tsp (2,5 ml) honey

Chicken

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel, then drizzle with olive oil and season with Cape Malay curry spice mix.

Place the chicken onto a baking tray and bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size.

Toss the baby carrots in olive oil, honey, and salt. Add to the roasting tray about 30 minutes before the end of the chicken’s cook time. Rotate the carrots at least once during the cook time to ensure even caramelisation.

Apricot & Almond Couscous

Boil the water and add the chicken stock; pour this over the couscous, cover, and let steam for 15 minutes. Once steamed, fluff with a fork and then allow to cool completely.

Add the almonds, apricots, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley to the couscous and stir through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Tangy Yoghurt Dressing

Whisk together the yoghurt, lemon juice, parsley, honey and salt in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

To Serve

Drizzle the tangy yoghurt dressing over the couscous and serve with the Cape Malay-spiced roast chicken and honeyed carrots.

*Mix your own Cape Malay Curry Spice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground coriander

1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground cumin

2 tsp (10 ml) ground turmeric

2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon

1 tsp (5 ml) ground ginger

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cardamom

1 tsp (5 ml) ground allspice

½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground cloves ½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground nutmeg

½ tsp (2,5 ml) cayenne pepper (adjust for heat preference) ½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground black pepper Mix all the spices together and store in an airtight container. Perfect for seasoning meats, stews, and curries.