Recipe Peas and potato curry

Elawin

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This is not the usual idea of a curry; it has very little liquid, although it is definitely not dry, and has a slightly lemony taste. Any "heat" depends on which chillies you use. It can be used as an accompaniment to other vegetable or meat dishes, or on its own with chappatis and a cucumber [and red pepper!] raita.

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes
Serves: 4 as an accompaniment, or 2 as a main meal

Ingredients:

3 tbsp ghee, or vegetable oil, or a light olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 inch piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped, with or without seeds according to taste
2 tsp turmeric
1 lb fresh, or frozen and thawed peas
8 oz potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Heat the ghee or oil over a moderate heat, in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently
3. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies, and cook for a further 5 minutes until the onion is golden.
4. Stir in the turmeric, peas and potatoes with a pinch of salt. Add a tablespoon of water and mix well.
5. Cover the pan; reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just starting to get soft.
6. Add the coriander leaves and half or all the lemon juice, according to taste. Cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste.
 
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This is not the usual idea of a curry; it has very little liquid, although it is definitely not dry, and has a slightly lemony taste. Any "heat" depends on which chillies you use. It can be used as an accompaniment to other vegetable or meat dishes, or on its own with chappatis and a cucumber [and red pepper!] raita.

That is similar to my aloo matar recipe with minor variations in quantities (I include 6 chilis or more). It's very nice.
 
That is similar to my aloo matar recipe with minor variations in quantities (I include 6 chilis or more). It's very nice.
I had a very late dinner last night (about 10.30 pm), otherwise I might have been tempted to up the amount of chillies. The fragrance of the lemon and coriander came through really well, and it was a very light dish. You'll notice there were no tomatoes in this version. According to the history section of my old Indian cookery book, tomatoes are not native to India and were a modern (16th century) addition to Indian cookery :giggle:
 
I had a very late dinner last night (about 10.30 pm), otherwise I might have been tempted to up the amount of chillies. The fragrance of the lemon and coriander came through really well, and it was a very light dish. You'll notice there were no tomatoes in this version. According to the history section of my old Indian cookery book, tomatoes are not native to India and were a modern (16th century) addition to Indian cookery :giggle:

I could not possibly exclude tomatoes from any of my curries.

Wasn't chili pepper also a "late" addition to Indian cuisine? I know it was to Thai cuisine (although you'll never get a Thai to admit it!).
 
I could not possibly exclude tomatoes from any of my curries.

Wasn't chili pepper also a "late" addition to Indian cuisine? I know it was to Thai cuisine (although you'll never get a Thai to admit it!).
I usually always put tomatoes in my curries, but this one intrigued me. I'm not sure which region of India this recipe comes from, but I would assume it was probably Kerala as even today tomatoes are not used as much as in other parts of India. According to Wikipedia, the Portuguese introduced chillies to India [Goa] in the late 15th century, although Spanish historians say they introduced it to the Philippines from Mexico (both Spanish colonies) from where it spread to India, China and Indonesia, and K T Achaya the authority on Indian food history suggest tomatoes were introduced to India much later (about 1850). The Japanese introduced it to Korea in the 16th Century. However, there is evidence of chillies being used in the UK in the 13th century. Interestingly, British chillies are amongst the hottest in the world (coming 5th and 6th in the list of the world's hottest chillies). Thai chillies are way down the list!
 
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