1.  In a large pot, heat up your coconut oil over medium heat.  Put the chicken pieces in, skin-side-down, to brown.  You will probably need to do this in a couple batches.  Give them plenty of time– if you try to turn them too soon, the skin will stick to the bottom.  If they release easily, then they are probably ready to turn.  Brown the other side, too.  You’ll have time while they’re browning to chop the vegetables! Remove the pieces from the pot when they’re browned.

2.  Add your onions to the oil in the pan, and use a wooden spatula to scrape up the bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Let them cook for about 4 minutes or so, then add the carrots and keep scraping for another minute or two.  Salt a little as you go, to build flavor.

3.  Add the spices, ginger and garlic in, and stir them with the vegetables and let them toast in the oil for about a minute– you don’t want them to burn, just to get really fragrant.

4.  Add the turnips, put the chicken pieces back into the pot, and pour in the coconut milk.  Add a little hot water to the can to rinse and add that to the pot, as well– the liquid should be about to the chicken on top.

5. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, moving things around in there a couple of times while it cooks.  Check for seasoning*, and add lemon juice to taste– a nice little acid kick here is important for flavor balance.  Add more salt or pepper, if needed.  Top with chopped cilantro right before serving.

*Here’s an extra tip for cooking with Indian spices: If you don’t think your dish is flavorful enough at the end of cooking, you can add a wonderful, pungent kick of flavor by heating up some oil and toasting more spices and garlic in the hot oil to add to the pot right before you serve.  This is especially great for dishes like lentils, that can get bland as they cook for a long time.