Preparation time 30 minutes, cooking time 55 minutes

This was one of my childhood favourite dishes. My Dad used to love making this, with rhubarb picked fresh from our back garden.

Serves Four

Ingredients

850 g large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

3 pink rhubarb stalks, cut into 1 inch chunks. Rhubarb leaves should be removed.

1 tbs brown sugar

Key Spices 

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1 1 inch piece of cassia bark

1 bay leaf

1 and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli flakes

Warming Spices

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp fenugreek leaves, soaked in 2tbs of hot water

1/2 tsp nigella seeds

2 cloves

Wet Ingredients

4 tbs groundnut oil or vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tsp pulped garlic

1 tsp pulped ginger

2 green chillies, pierced

1 small bunch of coriander including stalks, roughly chopped

1 tsp rock salt or salt flakes

1 tsp grated jaggery

Method

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

Place the rhubarb stalks on a non-stick baking try and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Place a large saucepan of water on the boil, with 1 tsp of turmeric and 1 tsp of salt. Parboil the potatoes for 7 minutes. 

Drain the potatoes in a colander, and place a kitchen towel over the top (this will steam dry the potatoes). Set aside. 

Take a small dry frying pan, set on a low heat, and warm through the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and black peppercorns until fragrant. This should take 1 minute, as you are just trying to tease the oil out of the spices. Remove from the heat, add to the pestle and mortar and grind coarsely. 

Take a large sauté pan, add the oil and warm on a low heat. Then add the onions, cassia bark, bay leaf and salt to taste. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the 1/2 tsp of turmeric and red chilli flakes, stir and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and jaggery, and continue to sauté for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

By cooking these ingredients for a little longer, your curry will definitely taste better. 

Now add the garlic, ginger and green chillies, and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the contents of the pestle and mortar, stir well, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until you see that the mixture resembles a paste.

If the paste becomes a little dry and sticks to the pan, then just add a little water whenever you need, to help you achieve the required consistency.

Add the parboiled potatoes and baked rhubarb, and stir really well on a high heat for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to simmer, place the lid on the pan, and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Remove from the heat, add the chopped coriander including the stalks.

Serve with a mint and coriander raita and warm chapattis