Chicken Lavangi

Clean a 1.2 kg chicken of any remaining feathers, rinse and pat dry thoroughly. Rub it inside and out with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper.

Chop the walnuts into fine crumbs, but don't grind them into flour. Grate or finely chop the onion, then wrap it in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juice well.

Dilute the cherry plum paste with 50 ml hot water and stir until soft and smooth. Even if the paste is already soft, add the water gradually so the filling doesn't turn runny.

Warm the squeezed onion in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, without letting it brown. Mix it with the walnuts, cherry plum paste, 20 g melted butter, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper. The filling should be thick, tangy-salty and slightly bitter.

Fill the chicken's cavity with the stuffing, then close the skin edges with kitchen twine or secure with toothpicks. Tuck the wing tips and leg ends under the bird if needed to keep them from drying out.

Brush the chicken with the remaining 20 g melted butter, pierce the skin at the base of the wings and thighs, and place the bird in a baking dish. Roast in an oven preheated to 180 °C for 60 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear.

Remove the lavangi from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, then carefully carve the chicken and serve portions along with the nutty filling.