We’ve been friends with Stephen for thirty years.
The son of an Australian father and an American mother, he was raised in Fiji where his father worked as a Christian minister. Over the four years that we lived together at college, he shared with us his love of mellow music (Cat Stevens and John Denver can still be heard in my kitchen to this day), his strong sense of social justice, and his wonderful tales of growing up in Fiji.
Stephen always gets particularly excited (and a little wistful) when talking about the food of his childhood. We’ve marveled at his stories about the coloured milk that never went off, the tamarind chutney that’s bringing about social change, and his school lunches of “curry and roti”, which used to cost just 15c at the tuckshop.
Fijian curries, he insists, are different from those found in other parts of the world. They’re quite spicy, usually drier than their Indian or Malaysian counterparts, and served with a unique style of roti – a very thin, wide flatbread rather than the rich, flakier versions found in other countries.
As it was Stephen’s birthday today, I woke up early to make him this egg and potato curry. It was the only recipe I could find for a vegetarian “Fiji-style” curry, so I thought it was worth a try. Thankfully, it turned out to be quite delicious…
Egg and Potato Curry
(adapted from Dave Dewitt’s A World of Curries)
- 3 – 4 red chillies, deseeded and chopped coarsely
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 large boiled potatoes, peeled and diced (they should be cooked, but still firm)
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- coriander to garnish
- Kashmiri chilli powder, to taste
- salt to taste
1. In a small food processor or blender, blitz together the chillis, mustard seeds, garlic, cumin, peppercorns, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and water to form a thick paste.
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a large sauté pan and fry the onions for about five minutes, or until soft. Add the spice paste and fry for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the potatoes and stir over a low heat for two minutes more.
3. Add the coconut milk and bring the curry to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the potatoes are softened and the sauce has reduced, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the eggs and juice and stir gently to heat through – this should only take a couple of minutes. Taste the curry and adjust seasonings as desired (I added salt and a little Kashmiri chilli powder, although these weren’t listed on the original recipe). Garnish with the coriander leaves.
PS. Dave Dewitt’s book is now out of print, but he’s reproduced parts of it on his Fiery Foods website. If you’re a curry lover, it’s well worth a look here.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Can tomorrow be my birthday? Like, let’s just say it was, right? And let’s say I was all wistful about my imaginary Fijian childhood …
Sure darling. I’m sure they had curry and roti for 15c at the tuckshop when you were growing up in Brissie.. ;-)
I think the tuckshop had sausage rolls and Kandy soft drink.
That’s so good of you to get up early to make this curry for your friend. It looks so good I can almost smell it. The Fijian people are wonderful and deserve to be spoiled. xx
He’s a great friend, and he really does deserve to be spoilt! We snuck a bit into a container and had it for dinner – it was great and definitely one that helps cut down the egg glut!
(I know he’s not Fijian, it’s just growing up there, the culture would have rubbed off on him) xx
It really did, too. He loved growing up there!
You are brave competing with such food memories. happy birthday Stephen, you have such good friends!
Thanks Tania! I don’t know if we can ever compete with food memories. Often Pete and I try to make things that taste like we remember them, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t nearly that good when we were young. Neapolitan ice cream is a good example.. :)
Never fancy eggs in a curry – but could be persuaded with this one.
Sally, egg curry is new to me too, but Stephen doesn’t eat much meat these days, so I was looking for something specific. It was surprisingly good, and helped to use up some of the three dozen eggs that were sitting in my fridge! :)
Celia, your curry looks divine!
Did you buy your lovely serving bowl from Chef’s warehouse? I looked at some on my last visit.
Thanks Elaine! Yes, I did! From memory they were quite reasonable. I saw quite a few for sale at Fiji Market too – different style, but about the same size as the ones I had, and with the same beaten copper exterior. Pete wouldn’t let me buy any.. ;-)
I just love your serving dish :)
Thanks Tandy! They’re quite readily available at Indian grocers here. I had wondered if I could use them to cook in, but there is only a very thin veneer of copper on the outside, so I figured they were meant to be used as serving pieces. Given that it was quite cheap for copper anything (under $20), I think they were quite a find! :)
That’s the nice thing about having a blog – I just looked back and found them in the April 10 IMK post, which means I’ve now had them for a couple of years! :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/04/18/april-in-my-kitchen/
You are SUCH a good friend. I’m sure Stephen enjoyed his birthday treat.
Actually, Stephen is such a good friend. I was up early and had lots of eggs to use… ;-) Hope you’re enjoying being home, A!
What a wonderful treat! I’ve bookmarked this and plan to make it in the future. Thank you, Celia!
Thanks Misky! I hope you enjoy it!
Looks so exotic, but I have all the ingredients. I love this one.
Greg, that was how it was here too! I had all the ingredients, except the coriander, but we pinched a couple of leaves off the new seedlings to use as a garnish. Actually, I subbed ginger powder too, as the original recipe had fresh grated ginger, but mine had gone off.
I used to work with a big gang of fijians when i was picking apples in NZ and they were always bringing curries to the orchard for their lunch.. It was not long before I did not need to bring my own lunch as they fed me well.. every particle of their clothing and bodies was scented with curry. I can still smell it. i shall make this curry soon as it reminds me of one of their dishes. Thank you Celia, what a surprise.. c
You’re most welcome Celi, I’m glad it brought back happy memories. We were staying at an international college while at uni, so there were people from all over the world living there. The guys from Fiji and PNG were all big rugby and soccer players, and just the kindest people you could ever hope to meet.
I love curry- but those that sit at my table -not so much- although Jordan likes it.
I think I’ll make a smaller version for just us two to share. Thanks so much for the recipe- and isn’t Stephen lucky to have friends who love him AND are great cooks!
Heidi, eight eggs is a lot! And if it makes any difference, I think this curry would also be very good just with potatoes (I was merrily tasting away at 5am in the morning.. ;-)).
I tried with just potato, and it was good! I also tried potato and chick pea and tasted even better………thank you for the inspiration!
Hooray! Thanks for letting me know Elaine! Now you need to go back to Chefs and buy a pretty bowl to serve them in.. ;-)
Seems I will have to wrestle Tandy for your serving dish. ;-)
What a lovely different curry recipe Celia.
:-) Mandy
Mandy, thanks! :) I hope you come across some of these bowls – I’ve now seen them in three stores, so they’re quite readily available here..
This curry looks delicious – deliciously different from what I usually make. Happy birthday, Stephen!
Thanks Maureen! It’s quite different from what I usually make too!
Looks marvelous! And that serving dish is something to envy. Quite a dish!
Thanks Pamela! We have backyard chickens, as you know, so it was a good opportunity to use up some eggs. Problem was the eggs were so fresh that they were hard to peel once they’d been boiled! :)
Yeah, old eggs are best to boil. But fresh eggs are so delicious.
I have a dish like that, but it is quite small. Love the sound of this curry. Have a great weekend.
Lizzy, hope you have a wonderful weekend too! x
I love eggs in curry like that, delicious! Its lovely to bring back some childhood memories with food, but I agree that we often remember them slightly altered to reality :)
Lucky you, Pete and Stephen to have forged such a strong bond of friendship all those years ago, congratulations :)
Everyone loves your cute little dish, I got a great set of 2 -one that size I think, and one a bit bigger, from Aldi last month for $40. They might still have some floating about?
Becca, I keep trying to buy more, and Pete keeps saying no. He’s probably right too! We’re really lucky to have some wonderful people who have, as Stephen put it the other day, been our friends for our entire adult lives. It’s actually very humbling. x
celia..your curry looks so good..i bet your friend loved it..what a wonderful treat it must have been for him to have you cook a dish from his beloved homeland..
Jane, he was very happy, and even happier when we found him “Fiji-style” roti from Fiji Market to go with it! :)
What a wonderful friend you are Celia. I don’t think I ever had a curry when I was in Fiji but I might have to make this one. I love the dishes! I got some the same a little while ago at Aldi and they’re great. They make it even more authentic!
Thanks Claire! The dishes are really gorgeous, but Pete won’t let me buy any more.. ;-)
I want it! The dish and the curry! And what a happy food memory from school. The food at our kid’s school is so bad that he won’t eat it. It’s subsidized by the state and costs a third of what they spend on jail food.
Maz, that’s terrible about your son’s school lunches! Are you allowed to send food from home?
Are you the best friend ever? Seriously? :)
Nah. :) 30 years of friendship warrants getting up a little bit earlier on a special occasion! :)
Just droppped by to say I love your blog. It was pointed our to me by Celi of the farmy. It does feel odd though to follow a blogger who is so close to home, everyone else I follow is at least as far away as Melbourne. I live a couple of blocks from Fiji Market, and it’s one of my favourite shops. This recipe is great, and made me want to slip up there to purchase a lovely copper bowl & the makings :)
Oh, I’d be in all sorts of trouble if I lived within walking distance of Fiji Market! I’d probably give them all my money! Thanks for stopping in to say hi! I love Celi’s blog, and I’m just heading over to check yours out now… :)
Thank you. I must warn you – I have 3 blogs… Check out an About page, and you’ll get the idea :)
just had some of Stephen’s left over egg and potato curry, very nice thank you! great comfort food in a big empty house. Thanks! myg
Hope you had it with the Fiji roti! Lovely to catch up the other day! xxx
had some of the first lot, more naan than roti but very nice! saved the fiji stuff for the boy. great to catch up and to see the boys. xx
Hope everyone is home and warm again, M.. :)
I don’t think I’ve had a curry yet I haven’t liked (as long as it’s vegetarian) and this one sounds delicious too.
Over the course of the last 30 years, Stephen has given up white and red meat (he still eats fish), so the choices were limited. I think this curry would be a nice base for other ingredients – Elaine (above) has tried it with potatoes and chickpeas and was very happy with it!
Yum! What a delicious looking curry!
Thanks Amber! It was fun to make! :)