Food with which to seek favour (5)
I believe the answer is:
curry
'food' is the definition.
(curry is a kind of food)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for curry that I've seen before include "Korma, for example" , "Pungent Indian dish" , "Hot spicy dish" , "Vindaloo, for example" , "food" .)