Syrian Chicken

In honour of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria, we're having Syrian Chicken for dinner tonight. Here's the recipe, courtesy of Karen Martini and Sunday Life:

PLACE 2 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, 1 tsp ground tumeric in a plastic bag. CHOP a large chicken into eight pieces and toss into the bag, coating well with the spices. HEAT 100 ml of oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the chicken until brown. Set aside. ADD the following to the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes: 2 brown onions, thickly chopped, 100g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks, 5 cloves garlic, bruised with the back of a knife, 2 small red chillies, split. ADD 2 small chopped tomatoes, 2 pinches of saffron threads, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 5 sprigs of thyme and let cook another 2 minutes. RETURN the chicken to the pan and add the juice and zest of one lemon, 2 Tabs honey, 100g of currants, 2 Tabs vegetable stock powder and enough water to barely cover the chicken. COVER with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. UNCOVER and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked through and the sauce is slightly reduced. STIR in 1/2 bunch coriander leaves. SERVE with rice or couscous.