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Add the onion, carrots, and curry powder to the potatoes, and carefully stir in the coconut cream. Recover and continue cooking for 1 hour.

Add salt to taste, then spoon the curry into a bowl or onto plates and garnish with the chile slices and cilantro.

Note: Coconut cream is a thicker version of coconut milk. It will say coconut “cream” right on the can. The mouthfeel of the cream is much richer than that of the milk, and as you might imagine, it is also higher in calories. You can substitute coconut milk for the cream in this recipe, but it is soooo good with the cream.

SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: I picture something chilled and white: Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris, perhaps? Maybe even a citrusy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc?

MOGUL EGGPLANT

Serves 4

Muslims from Persia and Central Asia invaded India from the north and ruled much of the country during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. As a culture, they are called “Mogul.” They brought with them a period of relative peace and affluence, unifying the native cultures and cuisines of India with those of the Persian Empire. Adding yogurt to a dish is a Mogul touch, as is sealing food with dough in a clay pot and cooking it directly over the coals of a fire. The following recipe is a typical Mogul-style dish, cooked in your slow cooker instead of over a fire. Add the yogurt at the last minute to avoid curdling. (Note: If you cut the eggplant into cubes, the dish makes an excellent sauce for pasta.) Serve with basmati rice.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

6 whole cloves

1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 small eggplants, peeled and sliced into quarters vertically

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups plain yogurt

Salt to taste

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

2 fresh serrano chiles, seeded, deveined, and cut into julienne, for garnish

In an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the cumin seeds and cloves to a fine powder. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to grind until a powdery paste forms.

Place the eggplant slices in the slow cooker insert.

In a bowl, combine the ground spice–ginger mixture, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, and crushed tomatoes, mix thoroughly, and then pour the spiced sauce over the eggplant slices, spreading it evenly over them.

Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, or until the eggplant is tender and cuts easily. When the eggplant is done, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and allow the dish to sit for 10 minutes. Carefully mix in the yogurt and add salt to taste

Serve hot, sprinkling the fresh cilantro and chiles over the top of the eggplant.

SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: Once again I revert to my chilled, light-to medium-bodied white wine on this one. A rosé, I think, would also work nicely. Even a fruity, young red wine might go well.

MINTED POTATO AND CHICKPEA CURRY

Serves 4

This potato and chickpea curry, with its coconut milk and sugar, is more characteristic of southern Indian cooking than northern. The chickpeas themselves take a nice, long cook, while the remaining ingredients are added about an hour before serving.

2 cups dried chickpeas

6 cups water

2 teaspoons pure chile powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 russet potato, peeled and diced

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk or coconut cream

1 to 2 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar

Salt to taste

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 jalapeño chile, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped

Thoroughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are just tender.

Remove the cover and gently stir in the chile powder, turmeric, potato, tomatoes, coconut milk, and sugar. Add salt to taste, replace the cover, and continue cooking for about