Chicken in Lemongrass

Description:
My mother-in-law likes this dish very much, which is a great deal for me because she is such a good cook. This recipe is from "Cooking with Love" by Annie Pascual Guerrero which is a wonderful cookbook; all the recipes I've tried are great so far. Please check http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Prepare-Lemongrass-297706941 for instructions on how to prepare lemongrass. .

Ingredients:
Marinade:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 thumb-size ginger, juice extracted by grating
salt, pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric (I used McCormick)
2 stalks lemongrass
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup shallots, chopped (or regular white or red onion)

1.5 kilos cut-up chicken
1 cup tomatoes, chopped (I didn't bother blanching or peeling.)
1 cup coconut milk (The recipe called for the addition of 1/4 cup coconut cream, which I omitted already, since I used Kara coconut milk in a carton which is quite thick already.)

Directions:
Process all ingredients for the marinade (using a blender or food processor) and pour over chicken, marinating for about 30 minutes.
Place chicken, tomatoes and coconut milk in a pot and simmer until tender, adding more coconut milk as needed. If sauce is too thin, thicken with cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water.)

*For those who prefer a hot version of this dish, you may add sliced chili peppers when you cook the chicken.