Keralan Black Pepper Chicken

Too often a bit part player, peppercorns here shine as the star performer. Used in quantity, they bring a bold piquancy that hints at an early Asian heat before chillies were brought to the continent. This is balanced by their fragrance as well as by a tangle of sweet, caramelised onions. Use tellicherry peppercorns if you can as they are especially grassy and bright.

Pepper is native to the steamy, knotted jungles of the Indian Ghats, thriving in the cycles of heavy monsoon rain an