Prepare the stew ingredients

Cut the chicken thigh fillets into bite-size pieces. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 2cm chunks. Finely chop the onion, grate the garlic and ginger, chop the coriander leaves and stalks separately, and crumble the stock cube into 450ml boiling water.

Cook the rice

Rinse the basmati rice in a sieve until the water runs mostly clear. Put it in a saucepan with 420ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over a low heat for 10 to 12 minutes until absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave covered.

Brown the chicken

Heat the vegetable oil in a wide saucepan or deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly golden on the outside. Lift onto a plate.

Build the peanut base

Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and coriander stalks to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, and mild chilli flakes for 30 seconds, then add the chopped tomatoes and peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter melts into the tomato base.

Simmer the stew

Add the stock a splash at a time, stirring until smooth, then add the sweet potato and browned chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover loosely, and cook for 14 to 16 minutes, stirring now and again, until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potato is tender when pierced.

If the stew thickens too quickly, add a splash of water so the sweet potato can finish cooking.

Finish and serve

Stir in the baby spinach for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted. Squeeze in half the lime juice, taste, and add more lime or salt if needed. Fluff the rice with a fork, divide it between four bowls, spoon over the stew, then scatter with coriander leaves and serve with lime wedges.