Recipe Saag aloo chaat masala (spicy potatoes and spinach)

[Morning Glory]

This is a very simple vegan recipe with nothing complicated to do except make the chaat masala mix (you could even buy a ready made version). The resulting dish is packed with spicy flavours and has hot and sour notes. I served this with an egg curry for a complete meal, but its good as a side dish for all sorts of things. Leave out the birds-eye chilies for a milder dish and feel free to add more spinach. A non stick wok or chef’s pan is ideal for cooking this dish.

Ingredients (serves 2)
For the potatoes and spinach:
220g new (waxy) potatoes cut into halves or quarters
½ tbsp vegetable oil
3 birds eye green chillies chopped (optional)
3 large handfuls of baby spinach (more if you wish)
1 tbsp chaat masala

For the chat masala*
1 tsp each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, aijwan seeds, black peppercorns
1 tsp black Himalayan salt crystals (or use sea salt)
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp amchoor powder (mango powder)
1/2 tsp asafetida

To garnish:
1 mild green chilli, sliced thinly

*(this makes approximately 4 tbsp of spice mix). Store the rest in a jar for future use.

Method

1. Boil the potatoes until tender.
2. Whilst the potatoes are cooking, prepare the chat masala.
3. Toast the whole spices in a hot dry pan until they begin to smoke. Place the toasted spices in a spice grinder with the salt crystals and grind until they turn to a powder. Mix the powder with the remaining spices.
4. Drain the potatoes and cool allowing any moisture to evaporate.
5. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and add the potatoes, tossing and/or turning the potatoes until they become slightly golden.
6. Add the chat masala and birds-eye chillies and continue cooking and turning until the potatoes are coated in spice and blackened in places.
7. Add the spinach, turning until the spinach wilts. Serve sprinkled with the chopped mild green chilli sprinkled over.