Autumn Potato "Curry"

My store cupboard has the normal (I think anyway) range of pulses, seeds and spices, but when a friend commented that she didn't have a clue what to use caraway or fennel seeds for, I was a little taken aback.   My original way of using either of these fine seeds was to roast new potatoes in olive oil and sprinkle a generous amount of either, along with a couple of pinches of salt and serving with the roast bird (of most sorts except for duck or goose) of choice.

One of the habits I got into with these particular kinds of roast potatoes, was to actually cook twice as many as I needed for the meal at hand, as not only did the cold sliced flavoursome packages make a tasty addition to an omelet the following morning but it also made a great base for a simple, yet satisfying vegetable curry/spiced dish - the depth of flavour of which is one of headiest around.

• 400 grams of cold caraway or fennel roasted potatoes - halved
• Two large gloves of garlic
• One large onion - halved and then thinly sliced
• One small aubergine - top/tailed, quartered and sliced
• A handful of okra (about six or seven should be sufficient) topped and sliced on the diagonal
• 15 grams of coriander - chopped
• One or two chillies (according to taste) - deseeded and cut into fine strips
• One stick of ginger (about 1 1/2 cms in diameter and 4 cms long) grated
• One teaspoon of coriander seeds
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric
• One dessert spoon of tomato paste
• Three generous dessert spoons of Greek yogurt
• 200 mls of hot water

In a dry deep frying pan or shallow (5 cm) wide pan which comes with a lid, dry roast the coriander seeds until they just start turning colour and add, along with the turmeric into a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar - once ground up add the garlic, ginger, chilli and a little oil to make a thick paste.  Put back into the frying pan (which has been turned down on to a medium heat and add the onions and okra.  Cook until slightly softened and then add the aubergines along with a little hot water and tomato paste and cover and bring to a simmer and then turn the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  Add the potatoes and half the coriander, and cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes.

Separately, add the remainder of the coriander to the yogurt and serve as a side with the potatoes.

Like the freshly roasted potatoes, this is a great dish to have with almost any roasted or grilled bird, but equally good served with crusty bread on a windy Autumn day.

Between the potatoes and the okra, this dish seems to thicken itself, but you have the urge, just a little plain flour mixed into softened butter and added in final 20 minutes of cooking works really well.