Potato, Pea and Ginger Curry

Ingredients

Feeds 6

For the curry

800g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into rough 2cm chunks

2 tsp fenugreek sees

2 tsp coriander

3 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp nigella seeds

1 Chile de árbol or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 large knob of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes

250g fresh or frozen peas

1 tsp salt, to taste

A pinch of sugar, to taste

For the raita

A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

2 bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped

1 fat garlic clove, roughly chopped

250ml natural yoghurt

1 tsp sea salt

To serve

mango chutney

toasted pitta bread

Recipe

I love potatoes, I love peas and I love curry. This combination of all three is just right for satisfying a deep and gnawing hunger. I can wolf down a couple of pittas stuffed with this simple vegetarian curry in one sitting, especially when it’s dressed with a good mango chutney and plenty of raita. It is perfect soul food for those who love a tingle on their lips.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. When cooked through, drain in a colander or sieve and leave to steam-dry whilst you toast the spices.

Meanwhile, warm a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Put the fenugreek, coriander, cumin, nigella seeds and dried chilli in the pan and toast over a medium heat for a few minutes, just long enough to unlock the spices’ fragrance. Grind them in a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar and set aside.

Heat a pan over a medium-high heat and when hot add the oil, followed by the onion, the spice mix and the turmeric. Turn the heat to medium and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the onion. Grate the ginger straight into the onions and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the onion is soft.

Add the potatoes, tomatoes, peas and 100ml water and cook for about 15 minutes to coat the potatoes in the tomato sauce, seasoning with at least 1 teaspoon of salt, some freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sugar to taste.

Meanwhile, make the raita. Roughly chop the coriander, chillies and garlic. Put them into a food processor with the yoghurt and salt. Blitz for a minute and then add 50ml water and blitz again.

Serve the potato curry in toasted pitta bread with big leaves of Cos lettuce, some coriander raita or cooling plan yoghurt and mango chutney. Yum!