Fusion Chicken Stew

Clean the chicken thigh meat and cut into large chunks. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Mix it up together and set aside in the fridge to marinate while working on the other ingredients. Cut 150g streaky bacon into chunks. I usually keep them frozen in my fridge so I cut them when they have thawed slightly and are semi-frozen. That way, its easy to cut into pieces by cutting them like blocks. Peel and cut 300g of potatoes into large pieces. Peel and cut 300g of carrots into large pieces. Cut 300g of courgettes into large pieces. Do the same for 250g of mushrooms. And for 1 large or 2 medium size onions. Add 1/2 cup of flour to the chicken. Mix well to coat the chicken evenly. Add about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large casserole. When the oil is smoking hot, add the chicken. If you are cooking a larger batch than this recipe or using a small casserole, do this in 2 batches so that the chicken can brown. Turn the chicken over to brown the other side after a few minutes. Once the chicken is browned, remove from the casserole on to a plate and set aside in a warm area. Add the bacon to the hot casserole and stir fry constantly. Keep the heat at medium. Keep stirring till bacon starts to brown. When the bacon is slightly browned, add the potatoes. Keep tossing the ingredients in the casserole. After about 3 minutes, add the carrots. After a few minutes, add the onions. Toss well till the onions begin to caramelise. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic. Toss well for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms. Keep tossing. The casserole should be very dry at the base now. Add the courgettes. Give it a good stir through. If you prefer the courgettes to be crunchy, then add them after the stew has cooked for 15mins in the water/wine. Then add 1 cup of wine to deglaze the casserole pot. Add 3 cups of water. Return the chicken to the casserole. Add 2 pieces of dried bay leaves. Add 1 teaspoon of ground cumin. Add 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of sugar. Give the ingredients a good stir and let the pot come to a soft rolling boil. Leave to cook for 1/2 hour or till potatoes are cooked. Do not cover. When the stew is ready, add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and heat through. The stew is now ready. If you like your stew thick like my husband does, then add a mixture of 1 tablespoon of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir quickly and thoroughly. Garnish the stew with fried shallots and sliced chilli. Serve the stew with rice or crusty bread.