My New Home, Potato Curry, and Feeling at Peace

On Thursday, I officially (finally) swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer!

It was a long day. I was severely uncomfortable in a stiff dress and feeling antsy to finally arrive to my site and settle in. Even so, I was so excited to see how the three months of training manifested in moving on to the next step of actually being a volunteer and beginning this two-year journey for real.

My excitement was also tinged with a bit of sadness because, like many of my peers, I was so sad to leave my host family. Just the night before swearing in, while I tearfully expressed how much I would miss my family, my host mom pat my shoulder and told me "My daughter, why are you crying? You know you always have a place here in my house and in my heart." 

Needless to say, that only made me cry harder.

I don't want to go on too much about how hard goodbyes are for me. If you know me, you know that this is a trend--one that I've accepted as a part of the experience of getting to know people whole-heartedly even when you know that a goodbye is in the near future.

The day after swearing in, I left for my site and instantly felt like I was home. Calm washed over me after hours of travel as my roommate and I opened the door to our house for the first time as Peace Corps volunteers. It is such a relief to feel like I can actually settle somewhere--a sensation that felt miles away because of how long it's been since the last time I was able to do so.

Something that I'm really itching to do is incorporate my love of cooking and DIY projects into this blog. For the next couple months before the school year begins and I can start teaching, I'm going to have a LOT of time on my hands. That being said, brace yourselves for lots of recipe posts.

One thing that I should mention is that resources are quite scarce here at my site. In the markets we have mostly just the basic produce items: tomato, onion, garlic, coconut, lettuce, potato, and a few cucumbers. These items are available pretty much year-round alongside other non-parishables that are available in the small shops in town. There are also plenty of fruits and veggies that are seasonal including mangos which are plentiful right now (you can see them at the top of the photo above!).

We were really fortunate to move into a home that has had several generations of volunteers and therefore is quite stocked with a variety of spices. I took full advantage of this earlier today and made a delicious potato curry that I am going to share with you.

Prepare to be secondhand hungry...

Potato Curry

4 large potatoes, boiled until tender enough to puncture easily with a fork

2 tsp coriander powder

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1-2 piri-piri peppers

2 small onions

3 tomatoes

2 green cardamom pods

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 coconuts-worth of coconut milk (full-fat, about 1/2 cup)

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 Tbs vegetable oil (divided)

1/2-1 cup of water (depends on how thick or runny you want the sauce)

salt to taste
cilantro, dried or fresh, for garnish

• Add 1T vegetable oil to frying pan, heat on high heat. Add the fennel seeds and let fry in the oil until they start to pop and get a little browned. Then add the cardamom pods and cinnamon and let sizzle for a quick sec.
• Add chopped onion, garlic, and piri piri pepper. Fry until the onions are translucent.
• Add diced tomatoes and chili powder. Stir well and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are soft.
• Remove tomato-onion mixture from heat and use either an immersion blender or an actual blender to create a spaghetti sauce-like texture.
• Add the other Tbs of oil to the pan on high heat and throw in the cumin seeds. Reduce heat to medium and let fry until they crackle, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the spices, fry a little more, and then add the tomato-onion paste. Simmer for a couple minutes. This is where you can add water if the sauce looks too thick.
• Stir in coconut milk, let simmer a couple minutes again, adding salt to taste or any other spices you like.
• Mix in potatoes and simmer 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Serve over rice!

Being able to cook my own food has been such a relief these last couple days. While I greatly (really, really greatly) appreciated having food made for me everyday with my host family during Peace Corps training, I missed being able to get creative in the kitchen and feel somewhat self sufficient. 

Today I feel more relaxed and at ease than I have in the last three months. My shoulders feel like they're finally breaking away from being tensed up by my ears and my belly is full and happy, too. Here's to more recipes, less stress, and a little more freedom to make my home feel like my own.

With love,

Emily




My views and opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the United States government or Peace Corps organization.