WHAT’S COOKING: AirFryday: Chicken thighs with eccentric accompaniments

Fresh turmeric. Baby ginger. Sweet red peppers. And parsnips. These are some of my favourite things, all in one dish, with chicken.

The difference between fresh turmeric and the ubiquitous dried powder is significant. Slices of fresh turmeric lend an intriguing smokiness to a dish. Their flavour is beguiling and arresting; you think, ooooh what’s that?

They look like little tubers of fresh ginger, but are burnished brown of hue and, when you peel them, your eyes meet the most brilliant yellow imaginable.

Speaking of which, I was intrigued to find fresh baby ginger in the fridge of my local Checkers. “Baby” doesn’t seem the best word, because they were of similar size to regular “grownup” ginger roots. But you could see the difference. Paler. Soft skin. Little “arms”, as it were, sticking out of them – stems – as if they were keen to shoot up.

When I peeled the “baby ginger” at home later, the skin almost peeled itself away. Beautiful.

I had also bought some perky, substantial parsnips – one of my favourite vegetables – and popped some frisky looking sweet red peppers in as well.

This was all destined to become an utterly delicious super all cooked in air fryers. And don’t we all love that…

10 baby red, orange and yellow sweet peppers, trimmed and sliced lengthwise (they’re sold in mixed packs)

4 bird’s eye chillies, seeded and chopped (half for the chicken, half for the parsnips)

4 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (half for the chicken, half for the parsnips)

4 x 6cm pieces of fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced thinly (half for the chicken, half for the parsnips)

2 chunky 4cm pieces of fresh baby ginger, sliced and lightly peeled (half for the chicken, half for the parsnips)

4 chunky parsnips, root ends removed, peeled and sliced into batons (half for the chicken, half for the parsnips)

1 cup chicken stock (Use 1 Ina Paarman sachet dissolved in 1 cup water)

Peel the ginger and turmeric and slice very thinly. Place in a small bowl. Add the chopped garlic and chillies, 8 Tbsp olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and stir. Let it stand while you prepare the other elements.

Chop the root ends off the parsnips and peel them. Slice in half from end to end, then slice those parts in half lengthwise again, and once or twice more if they’re quite sturdy parsnips. You’re looking for slim batons the length of the tuber. (If they’re slim ones, adapt accordingly – you’ll need more parsnips obviously than you would with thick ones.)

Remove the rack from an air fryer (it’s not needed for this dish).

Place the chicken thighs in, sk