Recipe: extracted from OTTOLENGHI FLAVOUR by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage (Ebury Press, $60)
Photography: JONATHAN LOVEKIN
The third installment in Yotam’s bestselling and multi-award-winning Plenty series, Ottolenghi Flavour celebrates the limitless potential of vegetables and reveals how to transform them into magical dishes. Flavour-forward, vegetable-based recipes are at the heart of Yotam Ottolenghi’s food. In this stunning new cookbook, Yotam and co-writer Ixta Belfrage break down the three factors that create flavour and offer innovative vegetable dishes that deliver brand new ingredient combinations to excite and inspire. Ottolenghi Flavour combines simple recipes for weeknights, low-effort high-impact dishes, and standout meals for the relaxed cook.
The book is broken down into three parts, which reveal how to tap into the potential of ordinary vegetables to create extraordinary food: ‘Process’ explains cooking methods that elevate veg to great heights; ‘Pairing’ identifies four basic pairings that are fundamental to great flavour; ‘Produce’ offers impactful vegetables that do the work for you. With sure-fire hits such as Aubergine Dumplings alla Parmigiana, Hasselback Beetroot with Lime Leaf Butter, Miso Butter Onions, Spicy Mushroom Lasagne and Romano Pepper Schnitzels, plus mouth-watering photographs of nearly every one of the more than 100 recipes, Ottolenghi Flavour is the impactful, next-level approach to vegetable cooking.
CHAAT MASALA POTATOES WITH YOGHURT AND TAMARIND
750g baby new potatoes, cut lengthways into 1cm-thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chaat masala
½ tsp ground turmeric
250g Greek-style yoghurt
½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds on a mandolin, if you have one, or by hand
1 green chilli, thinly sliced into rounds
1½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1½ tsp nigella seeds, toasted
salt
CORIANDER CHUTNEY
30g fresh coriander
1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
60ml olive oil
SWEET TAMARIND DRESSING
1½ tbsp shop-bought tamarind paste, or double if you’re extracting it yourself from pulp
1½ tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp chaat masala
This dish is inspired by aloo chaat, an Indian street food that has many regional variations, all of which are not for the faint-hearted because they 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’s absolutely perfect for a weekend lunch, alongside other vegetables, such as the aubergine with herbs and crispy garlic, or the radish and cucumber salad with chipotle peanuts. You can also serve it as a side with roasted lamb or chicken. Chaat masala is the slightly tangy spice mix that gives this dish its distinctive flavour. It gets its sharpness from amchoor, dried mango powder, which is used widely in Indian cooking as a souring agent. You’d recognise the flavour from samosas and pakoras, where it is often used. Both the coriander chutney and the tamarind sauce are great condiments to have on hand to brighten up sandwiches and wraps, to spoon over eggs, or to serve alongside tofu or fish. Double or triple them, if you like – the coriander chutney will keep in the fridge for up to a week and the tamarind sauce for up to 2 weeks.
Preheat the oven to 220°C 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, ⅓ teaspoon of 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 completely incorporating. Drizzle with half the tamarind dressing, and top with the potatoes, onion and chilli. Drizzle over the remaining tamarind, then sprinkle over the seeds and serve.
