Modern aloo tikki

Ingredients:

  • 500g baby potatoes
  • 40g tamarind paste
  • 0.25 teaspoon clove powder
  • 0.25 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 30g pitted dates
  • 5g ginger
  • 90g yoghurt
  • 0.25 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pomegranate (60g of pomegranate seeds)
  • 15g red onion
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 150g green peas (frozen or fresh)
  • 0.5 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 0.25 teaspoon salt
  • 20g herbs (parsley and mint)
  • 5g garlic (about 1 clove)
  • 1 green chilli
  • sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 100g cooked chickpeas
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon green mango powder (or lime powder)

Methods:

  • Start boiling the potatoes.
  • Meanwhile, make the tamarind chutney - in a bowl place tamarind paste, clove and chilli powder, roughly chopped dates and ginger. Add 40g water. Handblender everything into a chutney.
  • Make the yoghurt chutney - in a bowl place yoghurt and salt. Add 40g water and whisk it into a chutney.
  • Slice the pomegranate in half and extract the seeds by making strategic shallow incisions with a sharp knife.
  • Finely chop red onion.
  • Toast cumin seeds in a small clean frying pan.
  • Once the potatoes are tender, drain them over a bowl of green peas (if frozen). Put the pot with the potatoes back on the hot stove top to dry them. Once dry, spread them on a plate to cool off.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the peas - in a bowl place now defrosted green peas, toasted cumin seeds, coriander powder and salt, roughly chopped herbs, garlic and green chili. Handblender everything into a chutney.
  • Preheat a large frying pan, coat it with a generous amount of sunflower oil. Place the potatoes onto a chopping board and use a flat bottomed object (like a glass) to crush them into pancakes of uniform thickness. Fry them on both sides until golden brown.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the small frying pan with some oil. Add in chickpeas, garam masala and mango/lime powder. Mix everything together and fry until crispy.
  • Once potatoes are golden brown on both sides, assemble the dish - place potatoes into individual plates, top with peas, tamarind chutney, yoghurt chutney, chickpeas, pomegranate seeds and red onion. There are too many flavours - that’s the idea!

Inspired by: my travels in India and Brian’s crispy potatoes.