Easy Potato Curry

I live in arguably one of the curry-central corners of London, & yet I'm hopelessly inexperienced with our "local cuisine". A good curry can be extremely satisfying, a bad one, however, could probably give you food poisoning. I feel like I don't want to waste my ventures into the foray of spice without some proper research. One on the must-visit/must-do list is the Nepalese restaurant Gurkhas: if there's a Time-Out review sellotaped to the inside window, it's probably good. Plus I have heard many a good word said about it, nary a bad.

One reason why Curry Night may not be one of my regular indulgences is that feeling of heaviness it entails. Curries cannot be taken lightly when pursued in the outside world. Eating in, however, allows for a little more measurement, a lighter touch, & perhaps some portion control - us Brits need to learn to ask for doggy bags; instead, we savour every last morsel, wiping the plate clean with some of that Naan... Cooking at home? Get those tuppaware dishes out, we'll make sure there's leftovers for tomorrow...

Recipe by yours truly. Serves 2 or 3 easily.

Recipe

1 onion

1 tsp garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp finely chopped chilli

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

3 large potatoes

1 tin tomatoes

1 tsp brown sugar

glug of sherry (optional)

2 tbsp creme fraiche/double cream/Greek yoghurt

sea salt & black pepper

flaked almonds

handful of chopped coriander

1. Roughly chop the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. I like to keep the skins on for extra flavour & texture. Boil until cooked, about 15 mins.

2. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion & fry with the garlic in the olive oil.

3. Once lightly browned, add the mustard, chilli, cumin, ginger & cayenne, mix well, & fry a minute or 2 longer.

4. Add the tomatoes to the pan, plus the brown sugar & some seasoning, plus sherry if using.

5. Simmer for 10 mins, letting it reduce & thicken.

6. Add the cream or yoghurt & stir in well.

6. Stir in the potatoes.

7. Serve with the flaked almonds & chopped coriander.

Variations:

 - swap pine nuts for the almonds.

 - use cumin seeds instead of ground cumin, lightly toasting with the onion.

 - add beans to the curry: white beans or butter beans might work well.

{all photos by me}