The one special ingredient I use is Patak's Vindaloo or Hot Curry paste. You can find a partial selection of the Patak's pastes at Target or Lund's and Byerly's, or the full selection at either Asia Imports or Patel's International Market. Both around 18th street and Central Avenue in NE Mpls.

Here's what I do.

Heat about one tablespoon of cooking oil in a large frying pan/skillet.

Dice up a good sized onion and cook in the oil until translucent/clear

golden in colour. I normally do the above over a low to medium gas setting to give me sufficient time to cube about 1lb of meat (lamb, beef, chicken, or what have you) and to peel and make ~1" cubes of about six medium sized potatoes.

Add the meat to the pan and cook until it has browned. I turn the heat up higher here.

Make a small clearing in the pan and then put in two to three heaped tablespoons of the curry paste. Cook the mound of paste for a couple of minutes and then add the potatoes and stir the meat, onions, potatoes, and paste together until the all of the ingredients are covered and there is no remaining curry paste unattached.

Add one 16oz tin of diced tomatoes and one or two small tins of tomato sauce to the pan and stir together.

Bring the mixture to boiling and then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Simmer for at least 45 minutes.

Serve with naan bread and/or Basmati rice.