South African Chicken - Inyama Yenkukhu

This stew-like dish is supposed to be an authentic South African recipe. It was posted on www.funkymunky.co.za/african.html. Chef Zee introduced me to the site. I'm posting it for the Zaar World Tour, and haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure I will soon. I modified it just slightly. Simple recipes where you can taste the goodness of fresh ingredients are among my favorites. Chef Zee sent me the following suggestions. I'll leave the recipe as it stands, but feel free to try her suggestions for adding the "oomph" to this dish. "Usually in such honest recipes the flavour comes from the chicken, which would probably be free-run, organic ones, and stewed a long time. Such food always has a deliciousness which has nothing to do with ingredients. But if one uses a pale supermarket chicken, it would need more "oomph"!! I suggest you edit the recipe and add 1/2 teaspoon or more sugar with the tomatoes, chuck in some fresh or dried thyme, some garlic, and suggest a good seasoning salt — this will perk it up no end!"

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  whole chicken (the freshest you can find)
• 3  tablespoons  oil
• 4  medium onions, chopped
• 2  large tomatoes, chopped
•  salt and pepper
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup cold water

Directions

1. Cut chicken into pieces.
2. Heat the oil and fry chicken until golden brown.
3. Add onions and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer gently for 45 minutes or until cooked through and tender.
5. Slowly pour water into the flour in a bowl, whisking constantly to mix. Add mixture to the chicken and vegetables and gently stir until the mixture is thickened.