The new Flavor cookbook is finally here, I have been waiting for it all summer long. In this book, Yotam Ottolenghi has teamed up with Ixta Belfrage and together they have come up with more creative ways to cook vegetables. I am a vegetarian, I own the two previous books in this series Plenty and Plenty More and I have eaten at his restaurant when I was in London last year, I was curious to see if there would be any more new and inventive recipes that would surprise me. And I am delighted to note there are so many more exciting plant-based recipes. And as Ottolenghi himself claims, this book showcases the umpteen ways to cook the beloved cauliflower and still many more ways to fry eggplant, so yay to that.Â
The authors explore three broad concepts in this book - Process, Pairing, and Produce which form the three broad chapters in this book. Vegetables as we know it can often be transformed into something exquisite based on the Process they go through like charring or infusing. While certain others can be elevated based on complementary Pairings like a squeeze of lime or a dash of heat. Still, some other Produce naturally imparts a certain depth of flavour and needs little support so to speak, think mushrooms. Although unconventional, once you get into the book these chapters make so much more sense.
This Chaat Masala potato with Yogurt and Tamarind is a take on the aloo chaat, popular street food in India. Baby potatoes are tossed in the tangy chaat masala spice mix and roasted in the oven till perfection. Chaat masala is a fantastic spice blend that has amchur or dried mango powder in it which gives it a wonderful tang. I use both chaat masala or amchur on its own in my cooking, they are pantry staples for me. I loved how this came together, we ate it with store-bought naans for dinner. Even if you don't end up making all of this dish I highly recommend you make the chaat masala roasted potatoes, they were so sensational. They will make a wonderful side on any holiday table!
IÂ would like to take this opportunity to thank Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post and opinions expressed here are my own.
Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yogurt and Tamarind
Chaat Masala Potatoes
- 750 grams Baby Potatoes (Cut in lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- Pepper
- salt (Chaat masala already has salt in it, so check to ensure you are not over salting)
Cilantro Chutney
- 11/2 cup Cilantro
- 1 Green Chile (Roughly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Table Salt
Sweet Tamarind Dressing
- 41/2 teaspoon store-bought Tamarind paste (I extracted water from the pulp)
- 11/2 teaspoon superfine Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Chaat Masala
- 11/2 teaspoon water
For Assembling & Garnish
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ small Red Onion (thinly sliced into rounds on a mandoline, if you have one)
- 1 Green Chile (I used a jalapeno and sliced it into rounds)
- 11/2 teaspoon Corriander Seeds toasted
- 11/2 teaspoon Nigella Seeds toasted
- Preheat the oven to 450F (220C). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Put the potatoes and 2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and top it with cold water, ensure the potatoes are fully submerged in it. Place the saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 6 minutes. Drain and pat dry the potatoes, then transfer them to the baking tray. Toss them with the olive oil, chaat masala, turmeric, ½ teaspoon salt, and a good grind of pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, for 35 minutes, or until deeply golden.
- Meanwhile, make the green chutney. In a food processor blitz cilantro, chile, lime juice, olive oil, and salt until smooth. Set aside
- For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind paste, sugar, chaat masala, and water and set aside.
- Spread the yogurt on a large round serving platter. Top with the chutney, swirling it through without completely incorporating. Drizzle with half the dressing and top with potatoes, onion, and sliced chile. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, then sprinkle with the coriander seeds and nigella seeds and serve at once.
I have written this recipe as published in the book Flavor. However, I did tweak it slightly when I actually cooked it. For the tamarind dressing, I soaked the tamarind pulp in hot water and extracted it. I also gave it a quick boil since it helped take away some of the raw taste.Â
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