Wild Garlic and White Bean Curry

Preparation Heat the oil in a large heavy pan over medium-low heat and sweat the onions until soft and translucent. In a separate pan, warm all the spice seeds until they release their fragrance and just begin to jump in the pan. Tip into a mortar and grind with the pestle while still warm. Add the warm ground spices to the onions along with the chiles, curry leaves, lime leaves, and cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes over fairly low heat, then add the garlic, jaggery, lime juice, and fish sauce. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir well, and cook for another 10 minutes, then add the fresh or cooked dried beans and coconut milk. Cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes (or until the beans are tender if cooking fresh). While the curry is cooking, wash the wild garlic very well, picking over each leaf thoroughly for they can carry little stones. A couple of minutes before serving the curry, add the wild garlic and cook until it is just wilted and soft. Don't overcook it—wild garlic should be bright and vibrant. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. This curry should be soft, fragrant, gently sweet, sharp, and salty, with just enough heat to warm you. Reprinted with permission from My Favorite Ingredients by Skye Gyngell. Copyright © 2010 Skye Gyngell. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Skye Gyngell is the head chef at the award-winning Petersham Nurseries Café in southwest London. She is also an established food writer with a weekly column featuring recipes for the Independent on Sunday. Born in Australia, Skye has worked as a chef in Sydney, Paris, and London. In 2007, Skye's first cookbook, A Year in My Kitchen, was named Cookery Book of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers and the Best Food Book at Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.

Preparation Heat the oil in a large heavy pan over medium-low heat and sweat the onions until soft and translucent. In a separate pan, warm all the spice seeds until they release their fragrance and just begin to jump in the pan. Tip into a mortar and grind with the pestle while still warm. Add the warm ground spices to the onions along with the chiles, curry leaves, lime leaves, and cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes over fairly low heat, then add the garlic, jaggery, lime juice, and fish sauce. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir well, and cook for another 10 minutes, then add the fresh or cooked dried beans and coconut milk. Cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes (or until the beans are tender if cooking fresh). While the curry is cooking, wash the wild garlic very well, picking over each leaf thoroughly for they can carry little stones. A couple of minutes before serving the curry, add the wild garlic and cook until it is just wilted and soft. Don't overcook it—wild garlic should be bright and vibrant. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. This curry should be soft, fragrant, gently sweet, sharp, and salty, with just enough heat to warm you. Reprinted with permission from My Favorite Ingredients by Skye Gyngell. Copyright © 2010 Skye Gyngell. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Skye Gyngell is the head chef at the award-winning Petersham Nurseries Café in southwest London. She is also an established food writer with a weekly column featuring recipes for the Independent on Sunday. Born in Australia, Skye has worked as a chef in Sydney, Paris, and London. In 2007, Skye's first cookbook, A Year in My Kitchen, was named Cookery Book of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers and the Best Food Book at Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.