Keralan Potato Curry with Chickpeas and Coconut

This is a lovely quick dish, known as Ernakulam thoran. It’s one of the first curries that my mum made for my dad when they were dating, clipped out from a popular women’s magazine in the seventies. It has a really simple base of ground coconut with coriander seeds and chilli, which you fry with chickpeas and cooked potatoes. Do look out for the black kala chana specified here in the supermarket – they’re small, dark brown chickpeas with a gorgeous texture, and readily available in the World Food or Asian aisles.