Sweet Potato & Lime Curry with Homemade Roti Bread

I've added yet another cookbook to my ever-growing collection (I will count them one day, after I head home and pick up the rest...). Lorraine Pascale's How to be a Better Cook has been eyeing me for a few months now and when I saw it reduced down to £5 in WHSmiths I just couldn't resist. It's my first one of her books, although I've been obsessed with her TV shows for a while - anyone who looks that good in their 40's must be doing something right! So far I've found her recipes really simple to follow and adjust to your own tastes, and actually not too time consuming. This recipe, for example, although it looks like a lot to do with making your own bread as well you can actually get it on the plate within 45 minutes which is perfect for a weekday evening. The lime juice gives it a good tang and there's plenty of flavour - no need for a jar of ready-made sauce or paste again!

For the bread:

• 200g plain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp chilli flakes
• 4 tsp sunflower oil
• 125ml water - plus extra

For the curry:

• 2 tsp desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bitesize cubes
• 4cm fresh ginger, sliced into strips
• One fifth of a Scotch Bonnet (or I just used 1 standard chilli)
• 400ml coconut milk
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 75g sugar snap peas
• 75g baby corn (I just got the mixed pack of the above)
• 225g prawns, king if possible (omit if you'd prefer it to be veggie)
• 1 bunch of spring onion, trimmed and sliced
• The juice of 1 lime

(Serves 4)

Start off by making the bread. Put the flour, baking powder and chilli in a bowl and combine. Make a well in the centre and pour in 125ml water and mix to create a soft dough. This can be done by hand or with a mixer. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding more water or flour as needed.

Turn the oven to 110c and put a large frying pan on a low-medium heat. Divide the dough into 4 and shape each into a ball. On a floured surface, roll into a circle roughly 18cm in diameter and sprinkle with more flour. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil into pan and then lightly fry the dough for 2 minutes on each side. Repeat for all 4 rotis and then place on a baking tray in the oven.

Now it's time for the curry. Put a large, dry pan (when doing curry's I always find it best to use a wok) on a medium heat and toast the coconut for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring, then set aside. Add the curry powder and a drizzle of oil to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, ginger and chilli and stir well until they are completely coated.

Add the coconut milk and stock to the pan and turn the heat up slightly, until the curry comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for just under 10 minutes. Add the sugar snaps and baby corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the prawns and heat for a further 2.

Remove from the heat and throw in the onions and lime juice and season. If at this stage you find that the curry is too spicy for you, add a dollop of creme fraiche or natural yoghurt.

Spoon into bowls, scatter over the coconut and serve with the warm roti bread fresh from the oven.