15 Apr potato + pea curry

Depending on my work schedule, I rely on take-away food about once a month. Sometimes I just can’t cook anymore. On those evenings when I’ve been knocked out by deadlines or challenged by food photography shoots, I take a break from the kitchen and order in. Even though I live in Dublin’s city centre and have plenty of choice, the problem I’ve found with take-aways and deliveries is that they often disappoint, and you really would have been better off mustering the energy, hard as it sometimes is, to cook for yourself.

There are, however, a few exceptions. I’ve found the Deliveroo service (www.deliveroo.ie) to be a great enabler of my guilty pleasure. They work with restaurants, as opposed to chippers and take-away joints, to deliver their food to your door. I tend to order in Japanese or Indian food, as they are cuisines I love but don’t feel overly-confident about cooking at home. Outside of Deliveroo, I’ve found The Bombay Pantry (www.bombaypantry.com) in locations around Dublin and KonKan (www.konkan.ie) in Dublin 8 to be the most consistently luscious in their curries and bhajis over the years.

Regular readers of this column will know that I’ve been on a bit of curry crusade this year. I’m determined to perfect my own curry method. And you know what that means? No more take-aways or Deliveroos. This week, I’m sharing my experiments with a potato and pea curry. The first time I made this, I substituted the yoghurt for the coconut milk. It had such a lovely, slightly tangy flavour but it curdled, so aesthetically it wasn’t super appetizing. Until I figure out how to make a yogurt-based curry without curdles, I’m reverting instead to my coconut milk base, thickened with tomato purée, the recipe for which is laid out below. Practice makes perfect.

Pea and Potato Curry

Serves 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 small onion

1 clove of garlic

1 small piece of ginger

1 green (or 2 if you want a more fiery curry)

1 tablespoon of black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon of tomato puree

1 tablespoon of curry powder (I like garam masala)

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

Juice of half a lime

1 teaspoon of salt

Half a teaspoon of black pepper

700g new potatoes

150g of frozen peas

To serve

1 green or red chilli

Handful of fresh coriander

Natural yogurt

Lime wedges

Naan bread

Method

1. Heat a little vegetable oil over a medium heat in a large, deep frying pan. Peel and slice the onion. Add to the frying pan and gently sweat the onion for 10 minutes, or until slightly transparent.

2. Meanwhile, peel and finely grate the garlic and ginger. De-seed and finely dice the green chilli. Now add the grated garlic, ginger and diced red chilli to the onion and fry for another 2 minutes, stirring well.

3. Add the tomato puree and mix very well, and then continue to cook for another minute. Finally add the curry powder and turmeric, and fry for a minute so that the fragrance of the spices are released into your kitchen. Next, add the tin of coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for 10 minutes over a medium to high heat.

4. Chop the potatoes into small chunks and add to the curry sauce. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until potatoes are cooked. Add the frozen peas for the last 5 minutes of simmering.

5. De-seed and finely slice the green chilli. Roughly chop the fresh coriander. Serve the curry in bowls with some slices of green chilli, fresh coriander, a dollop of yogurt and some warmed naan bread and lime wedges on the side.

Storecupboard Essentail: Technically, these are more of a freezer essential. A bag of frozen peas can come to the rescue by adding a bit of extra colour and pop to a risotto or a curry. They’re the only frozen vegetable that I would recommend having in your freezer.

This recipe first appeared in The Irish Independent on April 14th