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Rabbit in Coconut Milk

(recipe, Jenni Fleetwood & Marina Filippelli)

Introduction

This unusual dish comes from Colombia. The rabbit is stewed in a lightly spiced tomato sauce, and when it is almost ready, coconut milk is stirred in to enrich the sauce.

Ingredients

1. 1 rabbit, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
2. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
3. ¼ tsp. paprika
4. ¼ tsp. ground cumin
5. 3 Tbsp. olive oil
6. 1 large onion, thinly sliced
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 1 can (14 ounces) plum tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
9. ⅔ cup chicken stock
10. 1 cup coconut milk
11. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12. White rice or boiled potatoes, for serving

Steps

1. Wash the rabbit under cold water, then pat the pieces dry. Combine the garlic, paprika, and cumin in a bowl, and rub the mixture all over the rabbit. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion slices, and cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add the rabbit to the oil remaining in the pan, season, and cook until golden. Do this over a very low heat to avoid burning the spices.
4. Return the onion slices to the pan and add the bay leaf. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Stir in the coconut milk. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes, until the rabbit is tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve immediately, with white rice or boiled potatoes.

Note

Variation: This dish is often made with chicken rather than rabbit. The ingredients remain the same, but the cooking time should be reduced by 15 minutes.