This recipe and introduction is from my new cookbook Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet.

I first discovered ‘chaat’ on my travels through India, where it’s served on the streets on palm leaf plates as a delicious snack. This recipe is a take on ‘aloo chaat’. It’s similar to a potato hash, but with lots of extra spice – perfect for brunch. The tomatoes fried amongst the potatoes become sweet juicy bombs of flavour that pop and explode in your mouth. Splatter the dish with plenty of yogurt and tamarind to cool the spices and enrich the dish.

‘Chaat masala’ is an aromatic concoction of spices that gives chaat its unique flavour. You can buy it from some local Indian shops or online, however, it’s easy to make yourself – and freshly ground spices are always more fragrant. If you can’t find these ingredients, garam masala will make an adequate replacement.

PREP TIME

35 minutes

COOK TIME

15 minutes (not including cooking the peas)

SERVES

2 to 4

Ingredients

Chaat masala – makes 55g

  • 1 tsp coriander seeds 11⁄2 tsp cumin seeds 1⁄2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1⁄2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
  • 21⁄2 tsp garam masala
  • 11⁄2 tsp kala namak black salt or sea salt
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or dried thyme
  • 1⁄2 tsp chopped fresh mint or dried mint

 

Brunch chaat – serves 2 to 4

  • 500g new potatoes
  •  glug of extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tsp Chaat masala (see above), or garam masala
  • 120g cooked carlin peas or chickpeas (see page 155)
  • 2 tomatoes (approx. 100g), cut into eighths
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced top to tail
  • 6 fresh coriander sprigs, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli, finely sliced, to taste
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste, plus extra to serve

 

To serve

  • yogurt (see page 224), kala namak or sea salt, unwaxed lime wedges

Directions

To make the Chaat masala, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until they release their fragrance. Tip into a pestle and mortar (or spice grinder) and grind to a powder. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and store in an airtight container.

To make the Brunch chaat, boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until just soft, then drain. Return to the pan and crush lightly with a fork. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the crushed potatoes, along with 2 teaspoons of the Chaat masala or garam masala, and fry until just starting to colour. Add the drained cooked peas or chickpeas and the tomatoes, and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the potatoes are golden brown. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reserving a few of the coriander leaves to top.

To finish, split between two or more plates. Spoon over plenty of yogurt and tamarind. Season with a pinch or two of kala namak or sea salt and scatter over the remaining coriander leaves. Serve with wedges of lime on the side.

Share

Twitter
Facebook
Email

Share

Twitter
Facebook
Email
Print

Discover more recipes

Chickpea & Chorizo Brunch Recipe

Chickpea & Chorizo Brunch Recipe

This chickpea and chorizo brunch is prepared in much the same way as a traditional hash, but is even simpler to make without having to dice and boil potatoes.
Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is an ideology and farming practice based on many years of scientific research and agroecological farming practices such as organic, biodynamic and permaculture.…
Waste Not Chocolate

Waste Not… Chocolate

Over the last ten years all my work in food, writing, cooking and teaching has had a clear environmental focus. This passion for climate-friendly cuisine…
Biodiversity

Biodiversity

“Biodiversity” The variety of life (from a single-celled organism or plant to a mammal) within a defined location or system, from the whole world to…
Food Sustainability

Food Sustainability

“Food Sustainability” A holistic approach to food that considers how our nutrition impacts the world around us from an environmental, social and economic perspective which aims…
Waste Not- Lettuce

Waste Not… Lettuce

Salad is a bit like Marmite: you either love it or you hate it. I’m a lover of both, and they even taste good together…
Waste Not Celery

Waste Not… Celery

A bushy head of celery with its leaves intact is quite spectacular and almost twice the size of a regular, chopped bunch from a supermarket.…
Lemons

Waste Not… Lemons

Lemon rinds add flavour to roasts, make a versatile salty preserve and give summer salads a sharp boost. Good lemons are knobbly, juice-filled and can…
Waste Not Cauliflowe

Waste Not… Cauliflower

he once-neglected cauliflower has been lifted to new heights in recent years, and now features regularly on restaurant menus, where it’s treated like a delicacy:…
Waste Not Potato Peelings

Waste Not… Potato Peelings

It’s not surprising that the many people are up in arms about how much food we waste, and potatoes are part of the problem: about…

Autumn / Apricot Frangipane

After incubating the ground over the summer months the sun grows soft and the wind drops a degree in temperature – signalling agriculturalists to prepare…
Chocolate pot with Candied Beetroot

Chocolate pot with Candied Beetroot

CANDIED Beetroot Eat as sweets, decorate cakes or make my super rich chocolate pot. 150g unrefined sugar, 100ml water, 1 medium beetroot (about 200g) Wash…
Chocolate salted rye cookies

Chocolate salted rye cookies

This recipe is adapted from Chad Robertson’s Tartine book 3. These are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Say no more. Ingredients – makes 20 cookies…
Cavolo nero and walnut dip

Cavolo nero and walnut dip

First published in the Guardian – Photographs by Elena heatherwick This is a variation on a pesto recipe that I learnt from a close friend…
Spider Crab Paella

Fish on Friday, Spider Crab Paella

My poly-tunnel and veg patch are now bulging with glorious summer vegetables: bell peppers, aubergines, broad beans, new season beetroot, onions, and garlic. The courgettes…
Watercress-pasta-pesto

Veg Box – Watercress

This post was previously published on www.goodbyesupermarkets.co.uk A wonderful springtime green is Watercress. A powerhouse of vitamins and minerals that should perhaps have been Popeye’s…
Wild Food

Wild Food, foraging in May

This month Absolutely Wild’s Peter Studzinski drops by to give us some great tips about foraging in May. For foraging, May is a transitional month between…
Wild Garlic

Veg Box – Wild Garlic

‘You may occasionally find wild garlic for sale in local farmer’s markets, but they grow abundantly, so why not go out in search of your…
Prawn-ceviche

May – Fish on Friday, Ceviche

I’m writing for a new website called www.fishonfriday.org.uk It’s brilliantly informative about all things fish, with recipes, techniques, and buckets of information about sustainability. This…
Veg Box – Spring onions

Veg Box – Spring onions

Said in the most positive possible way Spring is almost here! Time for salads and fresh foods to awaken us from our Winter slumber. Spring…
Smoke and forage

Smoke and forage

If you enjoy the alchemy and adventure of smoking and foraging for food but have never had the courage to do it, then this is…
Pomegranate Chocolate Brownies

Pomegranate Chocolate Brownies

What food could be more erotic than a super rich chocolate brownie with jewels of pink and a sticky pomegranate molasses. This, for me, is…
Christmas Leftovers – Brussel Colcannon

Christmas Leftovers – Brussel Colcannon

Brussel sprouts aren’t everyone’s favourite vegetable. Maybe thats why they’re neglected, lack the love they deserve and are always overcooked. So it’s no surprise that…
Seasonal Roasties with Chimichurri

Seasonal Roasties with Chimichurri

I’m always surprised by the seasonal variety of veg available in December and January. Theres only a few months where we’re limited to roots and…
Christmas Persimmon Salad

A Fresh Christmas Persimmon Salad

Persimmon, sharon fruit, kaki or even ‘fruit of the gods’ is a unique and delicious fruit that either tastes like a fresh, sweet, fruity date…
Quince Frangipane

Quince Frangipane

Quince is a kind of yellow pear that has a complex flavour. It works well in savoury dishes, most commonly used to make membrillo or…
Celeriac Gratin

Celeriac Gratin with Anchovies

Celeriac gratin was one of my favourite dishes at River Cottage. Hugh’s addition of anchovies is genius. So I guess this recipe is a homage…
3 Pinchos – Canapes

3 Pinchos – Canapes

Pincho literally means ‘spike.’ Normally skewered with a toothpick, it is eaten as tapas in northern Spain. I like my pinchos to be an intense…
Gurnard Parcel with Fennel

Gurnard Parcel with Fennel

Gurnard is a delicious, firm fleshed fish that roasts well and is even good raw as a ceviche. In this recipe we wrap the fish…
Deviled Kidneys

Deviled Kidneys

I love deviled kidneys, there’s no two ways about it. They’re so rich and unctuous, eating this dish makes me feel spoilt, and for very…
Cleo the Friendship Bread

Cleo the Friendship Bread

We at Forgotten Feast have sent our sourdough starter Cleo into the wide world. We were Inspired by Herman the German Cake and also our…
Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Beetroot’s earthy sweetness goes incredibly well with bittersweet chocolate. The beetroot lends a complex and wholesome flavour to the cake that helps relieve the guilt…
Cure pork fat at home

Cure pork fat at home

Cured pork fat This recipe takes the ‘No Waste’ ethos to the next level. Lots of people avoid fat for health reasons, but there’s no…
The Life of a Loaf

The Life of a Loaf

7 Ways To Use A Loaf Throughout Its Life Bread is a product that we expect to buy uber fresh. It’s almost seen as our…
Fruits

Devilled kidneys on toast

This was one of my favourite dishes while I was working at River Cottage, me and Ray Smith the house butcher used to fight over…
Mis-fit veg with babaganush

Mis-fit veg with babaganush

Through mass production, a lot of perfectly good veg is wasted. One of the most ludicrous reasons is that a vegetable is superficially ‘ugly’ or…
Brain Food

Brain Food

Surely its the ultimate insult to throw a brain in the bin, it is however a lot of work to remove from the head which…

For more of Tom’s recipes... Check out his new book

Eating
for
Pleasure,
People &
Planet

By TOM HUNT

Tom's manifesto, 'Root to Fruit' demonstrates how we can all become part of the solution, supporting a delicious, biodiverse and regenerative food system, giving us the skills and knowledge to shop, eat and cook sustainably, whilst eating healthier, better-tasting food for no extra cost.

Share

Twitter
Facebook
Email