Multi-layered, textural vegetable-based recipes are at the heart of Israeli-British chef and writer Yotam Ottolenghi's food. His new cookbook Flavour — the third installment in the bestselling and multi-award-winning Plenty series — is no different. Ottolenghi and his co-writer Ixta Belfrage break down the foundations for creating great flavour, exploring
the process, pairing and produce behind each recipe. Of this dish Ottolenghi says:
This dish is inspired by aloo chaat, an Indian street food that has many regional variations, all of which are loaded with sweet and sour and a fair bit of crunch. This is a slightly tamer version, though still pretty "noisy", both in flavour and in looks. It is perfect for a weekend lunch, alongside other vegetables or as a side with roasted lamb or chicken. Chaat masala is the slightly tangy spice mix that gives this dish its distinctive flavour.
Ingredients
| 750 g | Baby new potatoes, cut lengthways into 1cm-thick slices (Main) |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 tsp | Chaat masala |
| ½ tsp | Ground turmeric |
| 250 g | Greek yoghurt |
| ½ | Small red onions, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds (Main) |
| 1 | Green chilli, sliced into rounds (Main) |
| ½ tsp | Coriander seeds, toasted |
| ½ tsp | Nigella seeds, toasted |
Coriander chutney
| 30 g | Fresh coriander (Main) |
| 1 | Green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped |
| 1 Tbsp | Fresh lime juice |
| 60 ml | Olive oil |
Sweet tamarind dressing
| ½ Tbsp | Tamarind paste (Main) |
| 1 ½ tsp | Caster sugar |
| ¼ tsp | Chaat masala (Main) |
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 220C fan.
- Put the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt into a medium saucepan and top with enough cold water to cover by about 4cm. Place on a medium-high heat, bring to the boil, then simmer for 6 minutes, or until they're almost cooked through but still retain a bite. Drain through a sieve and pat dry, then transfer to a large parchment-lined baking tray and toss with the oil, chaat masala, turmeric, salt and a good grind of pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, for 35 minutes, or until deeply golden.
- Meanwhile, make the coriander chutney. Put all the ingredients and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the small bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth. Set aside until needed.
- For the tamarind dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl with 1½ teaspoons of water and set aside.
- Spread the yoghurt out on a large round serving platter. Top with the coriander chutney, swirling it through without incorporating it completely.
- Drizzle with half the tamarinddressing, and top with the potatoes, onion and chilli. Drizzle over the remaining tamarind, then sprinkle over the seeds and serve.
