Potato and Pea Curry

When I called Peter about a work project, he was over at a friend's house rifling through a strange pantry for anything they could cook up for dinner. "What do you do with brown mustard?" Indian, I replied. "What about coriander?" Indian again. This is one of the tastiest brown-mustard-featuring dishes in my repertoire. Peter, next time you're wondering what to do with brown mustard, make this. As a bonus, it also uses coriander.

• 1 lb potatoes. Idaho will work, but yellow or white hold their shape better
• 2-3 t. brown mustard seeds
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 2 medium onion, sliced
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 t. grated fresh ginger
• 1 t. tumeric
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/4. t. coriander
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. cardamom
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. fresh or frozen peas, fresh preferred
• 2-3 T. chopped fresh mint. Don't bother with dried mint.

Serves six as a side dish, and goes nicely with basmati rice and a nice tandoori or lemon chicken.

Before we get started-- don't get your panties all twisted if you don't have every single spice listed above. All the spices are included for a reason, but as long as you're hitting at least 75% you'll get a good sense for how this dish should taste. The following are non-negotiable though: the brown mustard (duh), garlic, ginger, tumeric and cumin.

Most people peel their potatoes for this dish, but as long as the skins are tender and in good shape I like to leave mine on. Scrub the potatoes well, remove any blemishes and cut into small cubes.

Heat the mustard seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become aromatic and begin to pop. They smell amazingly delicious. Add the garlic, ginger and vegetable oil, sauteeing until the garlic and onion are soft but not brown.

Add all the dry spices and potatoes, stirring just until everything is well coated in yumminess. Pour in the water, cover, and cook about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. Add the peas, cover again and cook another couple minutes. By this time, the water should be absorbed. If it's not, try removing the cover and cooking a bit longer. Don't cook too long or the potatoes will fall apart. Garnish with mint and serve.

Credit where it's due: I've adapted this recipe from one I originally found in The Essential Asian Cookbook. The cookbook looks like one of those big ones you'd see on the bargain table at your bookstore, but it has great recipes and pretty pictures.