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.
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