Spiced potato cakes with coriander chutney
With the marginally cooler weather - where one can bear to stand in a kitchen for longer than five minutes - here is a recipe for my favourite Indian potato cakes, also known as tikkias. My mother always makes these for parties, and this is my version - if you leave out the chilli, you might get children to eat them too. I like that it’s all storecupboard ingredients, with just a handful of fresh herbs to finish it.
Finely slice and boil a few floury potatoes in lightly salted water until soft - that should take 10-15 minutes depending on how thick the slices are. In the meantime, heat some oil in a big frying pan, and once it’s hot, add a teaspoon of cumin seeds. Fry for 30 seconds on a medium heat, then add a finely chopped onion (you can add garlic and ginger too if you have them.) Fry for about 10 minutes until golden brown, then add a heaped teaspoon of ground cumin and ground coriander. Stir fry for a minute, then add a handful of defrosted frozen peas.
By now your potatoes should be cooked - drain them well, and let it steam dry and cool for a bit before mashing and stirring through the onion and pea mixture. Taste and season generously with salt and a pinch of chilli powder. Wipe out the pan that you fried the onions in, and heat a bit more oil in it. Form the potato mix into little cakes, then fry them on a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp. Pop them on a plate lined with kitchen roll as you go, and in the meantime, make your coconut chutney - a big bunch of coriander, a few sprigs of mint, a couple of tablespoons coconut yogurt, a bit of fresh ginger and a small garlic clove all in a blender - blitz well, then season with salt and lime juice. Serve the potato cakes hot, with the chutney on the side.