Coconut Curry Chicken

• MAKE-AHEAD

Ingredients

1. 15 medium dried red chiles, such as Kashmiri, Guajillo or New Mexico, stemmed and seeded
2. 1 cup boiling water
3. 10 medium garlic cloves, halved
4. 3 stalks of fresh lemongrass, tender white inner bulbs only, minced
5. One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6. 2 medium shallots, chopped
7. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
8. 1 tablespoon dried shrimp paste
9. 1 teaspoon curry powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
11. Three 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
12. 1 cup chicken stock
13. 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
14. 1/2 cup soy sauce
15. 1/4 cup sugar
16. 8 whole chicken legs, separated

1. In a medium heatproof bowl, soak the dried chiles in the boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well, reserving the soaking liquid. In a food processor, combine the chiles, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, chopped cilantro, shrimp paste, curry powder and salt and process to a smooth paste.
2. Skim 1 cup of the thick cream from the top of the canned coconut milk. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, cook the coconut cream over moderate heat, stirring, until it becomes oily, about 5 minutes. Add the chile paste and fry over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Stir in the reserved chile soaking liquid and the remaining coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve the chicken curry garnished with cilantro.