Cuisine

KURKURE ALOO KI CHAAT

SERVES 5 PREPARATIO­N 30 MINUTES COOKING 15 MINUTES

If you’re in Old Delhi and hear the loud banging of a ladle against a pan, it’s highly likely you’re listening to a kurkure aloo ki chaat hawker grabbing attention.

CORIANDER DRESSING

2 tablespoon­s tamarind paste

3 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground Kashmiri red chilli ¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak) ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted

teaspoons chaat masala

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 cup fresh coriander leaves

¼ cup fresh mint with stems

1 fresh green or red chilli

½ teaspoon raw mango powder (amchoor) ½ teaspoon chopped fresh ginger ½ teaspoon salt juice of 2½ lemons

KURKURE ALOO

400g Agria potatoes

2 tablespoon­s cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

500ml oil (for frying)

1 large onion, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced 3 tablespoon­s †nely chopped coriander 6 tablespoon­s coriander dressing

To make the coriander dressing, add all the ingredient­s to a spice grinder with a few ice cubes to retain the green colour. Blend for a few minutes until the mixture is „ne and pasty. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerat­e.

To make the kurkure aloo, dice potatoes into 2cm cubes and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Once cold, add the cornstarch and the salt to the potatoes and mix lightly until the starch has smothered the whole batch.

Shallow-fry the potatoes in medium-hot oil until they are golden and super crunchy. Transfer to a bowl and add the onions, tomatoes, fresh coriander and the coriander dressing. Mix, then serve. For best results, eat immediatel­y.