MUMBAI POTATOES

This recipe gives an Indian twist to new potatoes. It’s lovely with fish, chicken, pies, fritters or barbecued meats.

Ingredients 900g new potatoes, halved or small main crop potatoes 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp or paste* 1/3 cup water 2 teaspoons cumin seeds ½ x 5cm-6cm long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped or ½ teaspoon chilli powder 2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste 2 teaspoons grated ginger 2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup (packed) chopped coriander leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 12-15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well.

Combine the tamarind pulp or paste, water, cumin seeds, fresh chilli or chilli powder, lemon juice, palm or brown sugar, salt and ginger in a small pot. Simmer, uncovered, until the mixture becomes syrupy (about 10-15 minutes).

Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish and toss gently with the butter.

Stir the chopped coriander into the tamarind and chilli sauce and pour over the potatoes. Stir gently to ensure they are well coated. Serve warm.

* To prepare the tamarind, take 125g from a block of tamarind pulp – this will be readily available at any Asian food store. Break it up and soak in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes, breaking it up further as it soaks. Push it through a sieve and discard the leftover fibre and seeds. Measure the amount required and freeze the excess for future use.

You could also use tamarind paste, available from Asian outlets (I use the Pantai Norasingh brand).