Carnival ready

The last bank holiday weekend of the year, and it's the Notting Hill Carnival. Though I have never been before, friends who were there last year swear by it. I expect plenty of brew to keep one wetted, massive tunes and some proper Caribbean barbeque. The day was spent scouting the area before the party really gets started tomorrow. The wandering around was punctuated by sit downs at pubs and food from the streets. Had some deep fried fake prawns which were probably the most revolting things I have ever eaten, not because they tasted terrible, but because they raped what was otherwise a pretty okay platter of fried seafood (and because the thought of 'seafood' being produced in a factory makes me gag). Some talk about the lack of authentic food was sparked by the sight of non-Spaniards cooking paella and so I offered to rustle up a proper prawn curry for dinner.

This is a pretty basic coastal Indian prawn curry. Different regions along the coast will have their own additions and quirks. It's pretty simple to put together - especially when you have a sous-chef doing all the grinding and peeling. I have been making this curry for a few years now but have only once actually bothered to measure the ingredients, even if only roughly. Here's the recipe as I remember it; a more accurate one will follow sometime soon.

• Crack some mustard seeds in oil and add to that a sprig of curry leaves, slit whole chillies and sliced onions. Fry until the onions are soft. If you don't want a 'chunky' curry use onion paste instead.
• Once the onions are tender add powdered cumin, coriander, fenugreek seeds and turmeric. Add a splash of water if the masala starts sticking to the pan.
• Once roasted, add a couple of chopped tomatoes to create a curry paste.
• As the tomatoes soften, add some coconut milk and let the sauce (or as we Indians would rightly refer to it - gravy) simmer for about 10 minutes.

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  While bread in the form of roti, naan, parathas, kulchas, etc. is widely consumed in India, rice is the staple along the coast. Serve up this prawn curry with rice.

In the south of India (which is where I first ate a coconut based curry) the rice of choice is a rounder, redder, unpolished, stickier variety that looks nothing like the basmati most people here in the UK are used to with their curries. Most Indian households reserve basmati for use on special occasions (which could mean anything from festivals to friends visiting) as more economical alternatives are widely available. There also seems to be a belief that if eaten daily - and most, if not all, Indians eat rice atleast once a day - basmati can give you trouble with your digestion. Surprisingly, I haven't yet formed an opinion on this one!