Burmese Chicken Curry

Slice 3 onions and set aside. Chunk up the other 2 onions and blitz them in your food processor with the chilies, ginger, and garlic until it's a rough paste.

Mix the salt and turmeric together and rub all over the chicken pieces. Get your hands dirty — it needs to coat everything.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces all over, about 10 minutes total. Pull them out and set aside.

Toss the sliced onions and that spice paste into the same pan. Cook, stirring now and then, until the onions are completely soft and golden. (Don't dump that fond from the chicken — it's all flavour)

Puree the canned tomatoes with their juice until smooth, then add to the pan along with the water, soy sauce, and lemon zest.

Nestle the chicken back in — but hold off on the breast pieces for now. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Add the breast pieces and continue simmering covered for another 20 minutes, until the meat's cooked through.

Pull the chicken out to a serving dish and cover to keep warm. Crank the heat and boil that sauce uncovered, stirring constantly, until it reduces to about 3 cups.

Skim off the fat and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve over rice or noodles.