I first tasted potatoes like this at one of my favourite restaurants when I moved to London. They were divine.
They were charred in all the right places, had a hint of smokiness to them, and were suitably spicy. They had a strange crunch to them that I soon figured out was fried lentils (in this case white urad dhal) so I have added these and a little more right at the end as peanuts, but if you don’t fancy them then just leave them out.
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 dried chipotle chili or 1 tsp chipotle chili paste
• 600 g potatoes, scrubbed and skins left on
• 1 tbsp white urad dhal (optional)
• 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 tbsp oil, vegetable or light olive oil
• 2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• Good pinch of sea salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, to garnish
• 2 heaped tbsp salted peanuts, roughly chopped, to garnish
Preparation
Fill a pan with cold water and add the turmeric and chipotle chilli. Add the potatoes, bring to a boil and cook until soft. Depending on how large they are, they could take upto around 30 minutes. Drain them once they are soft.
Heat a frying pan and fry the urad dhal and fenugreek seeds until nutty and fragrant and starting to turn golden brown.
Pour over the oil and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add the smoked paprika, garlic and spring onions and allow them to soften for a minute or so.
Finely chop the boiled softened chipotle chili (if using a dried whole one) and stir this through. Add the potatoes and use a fork to break them up, but leave some large lumps in there.
Season with a little salt, remembering that you are going to sprinkle over some salted peanuts later, and squeeze over the lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
To make this dish extra crunchy leave the potatoes to cook and slightly catch on the base of the pan. Stir them every now and again until crispy and golden brown all over.
Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander and salted nuts for an ultimate veggie side.
Anjali’s secret: If you don’t have chipotle chillies, just use a little extra smoked paprika and a fresh chilly if you want some heat.