A southern potato curry from the Chennai region. In Chennai, this would be served with rice, and in the north, with a flatbread. Dal and vegetables should be added to the meal.

Ingredients

　　3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　1 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon urad dal or yellow split peas

　　2 dried hot red chilies

　　15–20 fresh curry leaves, or 10 fresh basil leaves, torn up

　　1/2 medium onion, chopped

　　1 medium tomato, chopped

　　2 teaspoons ground coriander

　　1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 teaspoon store-bought garam masala

　　1 pound red potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 cup coconut milk from a well-shaken can

　　4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

　　Pour the oil into a medium pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds, urad dal, and red chilies. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, put in the curry leaves and onions. Turn heat to medium. Stir and fry the onions for about 3 minutes or until they have softened but not browned. Put in the tomatoes, coriander, cayenne, and garam masala. Stir for a minute. Add the potatoes and stir a minute. Now pour in 1 cup water and the salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the coconut milk and cilantro and stir them in.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.