Indian peas and potato curry

This recipe takes me back to my childhood. Who doesn't enjoy warm, soft pieces of potato floating in a delicious sauce? This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and makes a hearty dinner for the family. Serve with naan, roti or rice.

Serves: 4, Prep. time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola oil or ghee

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 cm piece of Serrano pepper, roughly chopped (or any other pepper of choice)

1 medium white onion, sliced

3 tbsp Gram flour (also called chickpea flour or Besan)*

3 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped to achieve 1/2 inch cubes

5 medium russet potatoes - Peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

2/3 cup of frozen green peas

2 tsp salt (or more as needed)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala (optional)

2 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Add the potato cubes to a pot of water, season with 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil (Tip: Always add potatoes to room temperature water and then bring the pot to boil. This way, the potatoes will cook uniformly. Adding potatoes to boiling water will cause the outside to cook faster than the inside leading to potatoes that are mushy on the outside and under cooked on the inside).

2. In the meanwhile, slice the onions, garlic, ginger and peppers.

3. Heat oil or ghee in a large pot and add mustard seeds. After they crackle, add cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, Serrano peppers and sliced onions.

4. After the onions turn golden, add the Gram flour and stir for a few minutes till the flour is cooked and has a sweet aroma. It will turn into a light brown color. Add 1/2 cup of water at this point and stir well to avoid lumps.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and peas and stir everything through.

6. Stir in the turmeric powder, salt and coriander powder. Add 1 cup water.

7. Let everything cook for about 5 minutes till the sauce starts bubbling. Then add the potatoes and stir through.

8. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add Garam masala and cilantro leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes, turn heat off and cover the pot. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*NOTE: Gram flour can be replaced with all purpose flour or whole wheat flour. It is a thickening agent.