Kupati (Chicken)

Ingredients

• 2¼ lbChickenwith skin and fat, from thighs and breast, finely chopped or coarsely minced
• Sausage casingnatural casing, soaked and rinsed
• 1Onionfinely diced or minced
• 3 clovesgarlicfreshly pressed or dried and ground
• saltto taste
• 1 tspblack pepperground
• 1 tbspPaprika
• 1 tspCorianderground (optional)
• 1 pinchNutmegground (optional)
• ½ cupwaterice cold, to loosen the meat mixture (optional)
• 5¼ ozPork fatminced along with the meat, for juiciness (optional)
• ½ cupcreamlow fat, mixed into the filling (optional)
• 1 tbspDried mixed herbs (optional)
• 2 bunchparsleya few sprigs only, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 bunchDilla few sprigs only, finely chopped (optional)
• 7 ozBreadcrumbsto bind and coat the skinless sausages (optional)

Method

1. Soak the natural casing in lukewarm water for 1–2 hours, then rinse it thoroughly inside and out and leave it to drain.
2. Bone out the chicken, using the skin and fat along with the meat; set the bones aside for stock. Chop the meat finely by hand or put it through the coarse plate of a mincer, running the pork fat and onion through with it.
3. Mix in the salt, black pepper and paprika, along with the garlic and, if you like, coriander, nutmeg, dried herbs, parsley and dill. Knead the mixture thoroughly and slap it against the bowl until it binds.
4. Cover the mixture and let it rest in the fridge. Work in the ice-cold water or cream a little at a time, until the mass is smooth and supple.
5. Grease the sausage funnel and slide the casing on. Only knot the end once you have started filling, so no air gets trapped inside.
6. Fill the casing loosely, twisting or tying it off every 10–15 cm, and prick any air bubbles with a needle. Chill the shaped sausages once more before cooking.
7. To cook, either blanch the sausages briefly or pour boiling water over them and then fry them in a pan or grill them — or bake them at 180–375 °F for about 25–35 minutes.
8. Test for doneness: when pricked, the juices should run clear. Serve with fresh vegetables and a hot spice paste.

Tips and variations

You can skip the casing entirely: bind the mixture with breadcrumbs, shape it into sausages with wet hands, roll them in more crumbs and bake them. For a chunkier texture, chop all the meat by hand; for an especially juicy mass, combine hand-chopped and minced meat with pork fat, onion and cream. The seasoning is yours to play with — once with nutmeg, coriander and dried garlic, once with dried herbs, once with nothing but paprika and plenty of fresh parsley and dill. A quick blanch before frying or grilling keeps the casing from bursting. Bring them to the table with fresh vegetables and a hot spice paste.