A Vindaloo of Sorts: a recipe for a spicy potato and sweet potato dish

Its Autumn now, well and truly. A year since my last post. Too too long.

Summer was a peaceful time. Holidays, family visits, beach, catching up on projects, reorganising, clearing, relaxing, visiting. Thinking. Reflecting. Putting the priorities back into life once more.

I felt great. But just between you and me, as my holidays ended I was not quite ready to go back to work. I would have loved another week. It was not to be.

Since then I have been to Thailand, Perth and Sydney. I have worked very hard. I have been very sick with a flu like bug. I am growing my business. I am downsizing my life. I have read books, sung songs, chanted the yoga sutras and been gifted a beautiful Leica camera. I have been grateful for the care given to me by friends when I was ill. I have assisted strangers to this country and been grateful for that opportunity. I have been humbled by the forces of nature and the dignity of the Japanese people. I have spent time with the young ones in my family; they are so grounding and a reminder of what is important in this life.

Thinking

My thinking is often on giving - one of those many things that I think about. I use my meditation to think about things too, including giving. Meditation can be, if you want, a deep deep contemplation, deep exploration of a topic, of a concept, of a problem or issue, that leads to understanding. Sometimes overwhelming understanding. Often a challenging understanding! Try it. Play around with Expectancy, Busy, Scattered, Peace, Marriage, Family. Spend a week or two, or a year or two, meditating on one concept, issue, problem and see how clarity comes.

Giving is only giving when there is no thought of reward. Nice words, easy to say, and easier to write; the hardest to do. Giving really is a detachment from the thought of reward. Not expecting anything, not even a smile. No feedback at all. For captured in the silence of giving is humility. In the silence.

Cooking

Today in the peace of Autumn and it’s fantastic light, I cook from Yotam Ottolenghi‘s book Plenty. A present, it is my most treasured cookbook at the moment. This man is a wizard with food, both the visual (see his cafe/restaurants in London) and the flavour combinations. It’s not difficult or pretentious food, a delight to cook and to eat.

Today, just for Autumn, I am making Two-Potato “Vindaloo”, a spicy dish of potatoes and sweet potatoes. I did make some adjustments, because by habit I use some of the spices slightly differently, but this dish is great. Best made during a slow afternoon, it takes 2 — 2.5 hours to make. But they are not difficult hours — you could delve into your favourite book in the Autumn sun while this bubbles away on the stove-top. Oh and by the way, your house will be headily scented with the most magnificent spicy aroma.

This is a deeply satisfying dish which is even better a day or two after cooking.

Some notes on the dish

Black Mustard Seeds: I like to pop them before adding to a dish, otherwise they add a hot mustard taste to a dish rather than the sweet nutty Indian flavor of popped mustard seeds.

Curry Leaves: Likewise I like to allow the curry leaves to release their flavours into oil and add them near the end of cooking. Long cooking of curry leaves can impart a bitter taste to food.

Vindaloo: I am not sure why Yotam calls this dish a vindaloo. Well, I am really, as it approximates the spice flavours of Goa where Vindaloo originates, a wonderful blend of the Portugese influence with regional flavours. If you want a real mind-numbingly hot vindaloo flavour though, add more chilli. Vindaloo also has garlic (Vindaloo originates from the words for vinegar and garlic). This dish also has an inherent sweetness from the sweet potatoes, sugar and sweet papikra, whereas a traditional vindaloo has a sour, almost pickled flavour especially after marinating for a few days.

So I would be inclined to discard the Vindaloo label altogether. I love the fact too that the wonderful sweet, spiciness of the dish would also welcome a few raisins! I will try that variation one day.

Serve With: Sauté some raw cashews in oil or ghee and serve over or with the curry instead of the herbs. Also good with a side serve of tart yoghurt beaten with a little salt. A coconut chutney would compliment it well.

Two Potato “Vindaloo”

Adapted from Ottolenghi’s Plenty
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Serves: 4 — 6, depending on serving size

Ingredients
8 large or 12 small cardamom pods
1 Tblspn cumin seeds
1 Tblspn coriander seeds
0.5 tsp cloves
0.25 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tblspn vegetable oil or use coconut oil, even ghee
12 shallots (300g in total)
0.5 tspn black mustard seeds
0.5 tsp fenugreek seeds
25 curry leaves
2 Tblspn chopped root Ginger
2 fresh red chillies
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
50 ml cider vinegar or use juice of half a lemon and 2 tspn amchur powder. (In Goa they use a toddy vinegar and the flavour is difficult to replicate.)
400 ml water
1 Tblspn jaggery or brown sugar
400g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm dice
1 large or 2 small red peppers, cut into 2 cm dice
400g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm dice
Salt to taste
Mint or coriander leaves (cilantro) to serve

Method
Start by making the spice paste. With a pestle or blade of a large knife, crush the cardamom pods to release the seeds. Dry roast the cardamom pods with seeds, the cumin and coriander seeds in a small sauté pan until they release a beautiful aroma and begin to pop. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and add the cloves. You can discard the cardamom pods at this point if the seeds have been released. Grind to a fine powder and add the turmeric, cinnamon and sweet paprika.

Heat most of the oil in a large heavy based pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Add the fenugreek seeds and after 30 seconds, add the shallots.Sauté on a medium low heat for about 8 minutes or until the shallots brown. Stir in the chilli and ginger and cook for a further 3 minutes. Now stir in the spice mix, then add the tomatoes, vinegar, water, jaggery or sugar and some salt. Leave to simmer, covered, for 20 mins.

Add the diced potatoes and red peppers and simmer for another 20 mins. Then add the sweet potatoes and simmer, covered, for another 40 mins. Make sure that the vegetables are immersed in the sauce, adding more water if necessary.

In a separate sauté pan, heat the remaining oil and add the curry leaves. Allow to sizzle for 30 secs and then pour oil and leaves into the potatoes. Stir.

Without the lid, allow to bubble away for about 10 mins to reduce and thicken the sauce. Serve hot with plain rice, some plain yoghurt beaten with a little salt, and the herbs.

A deeply satisfying dish. Even better the next day. Enjoy!

Other Autumn Dishes

• Baked Strawberries
• Pomegranate and Banana Salad
• Chickpea, Almond and Sesame Spread
• The Simplest Spaghetti
• Tofu and Spinach Napoleons with Sesame and Miso
• Beetroot and Carrot Salad – Indian Style
• Bruschetta al Pomodoro
• Chickpea Keep It Simple Salad
• No-Knead Quick Focaccia
• Porridge – Indian Style
• Rizogalo – Greek Rice Pudding
• Take a Tomato - Quick Tomato Soup

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