I've just tried your Potato and Spinach Bhaji (Dry Curry), and it was fantastic.

But, while the flavour was wonderful, I had a problem with the potatoes, which always seems to be a problem for me whenever I cook dry curries. The potatoes simply do not cook quickly - they take absolutely ages (I would say minimum of 30 minutes), by which time most of the nutrients in the spinach have either been killed off or have evaporated! And the cubes are not large, approx 1.5cm cubes.

My aunt says she gets around this problem by first frying off the cubes of potatoes in oil and draining them aside, before starting the remainder of the curry, and then putting them in towards the last 10 min. But this means more oil and calories.

Have you got any ideas, or is it just a question of cooking them for ages?

Thanks,

Liza

You could try boiling them first, maybe..?

Ganders is right, you could boil them first. Frying is a less healthy way of cooking them. I would boil them in their skin (microwave in a sandwich bag with 2 tbs. water, for 6-8 minutes. Cool and then peel them. This way, they don't break up easily.

I don't understand why you have this problem, I have never had it. Chopped potatoes cook quite quickly, unless they are old.

Mamta

could be the type of potatoes you are using, some go soft very quickly (the sort used for mash potatoes) and some are harder/waxy that keep their shape longer and so seem harder and uncooked...

Thanks for your advice I just discovered that I'm using the wrong potatoes! Some years ago, Delia Smith said Red Desirees were a great potato, so I started using only those. But while they are great for roasting, they take an awful long time to cook in a curry. I just switched to King Edwards, and bingo! They cook in 10-15 min.

Liza

Its surprising how different potatoes can have such an effect on a dish, glad you've sorted it out.