Aloo Tuk

There is a wise saying, and it goes like this,

Women only want one thing, and it starts with P and ends with S.

Us Brits, we love a good curry. The food we are known for most is probably fish 'n chips, but maybe we love curry more.

Aloo Tuk has become my favourite side dish to make on curry night. It's more effort than easy flat breads, but it's very very worth it.

I want to wax lyrical about why it's so great, but I'll get on with the recipe first and then convince you after.

Ingredients

• Potatoes (new potatoes or baby potatoes) as many as you can eat, plus a few more.
• Spices: Garam masala, Chilli powder, Mango powder/mango chutney, Salt
• Amounts: eyeball it! Quite a bit of masala, a pinch of chilli and salt, a moderate sprinkling of the mango powder if you have it, or a generous blob of the chutney otherwise.

How you do

1. Cook the potatoes. I'm going to assume a basic level of intelligence and skill, here, that you know how to boil a pan of water with potatoes in, and can tell when they are cooked.
2. Cool the potatoes. Drain them, pat dry with a paper towel if you like, pop them in the fridge. Let them go cold. You can skip this step if you are in a hurry. I understand completely. Who is not in a hurry for potatoes?
3. Squash the potatoes. Use a slotted spatula and just sort of smash them a bit. Do not skip this part. This helps with the next steps.
4. Cook the potatoes again. You heard me! You can shallow fry, air fry, or deep fry.
5. Spice the potatoes. Chuck your spices in a bowl and roll your taters around in them until they have a good coating. You want those smushed edges to pick up loads of flavour!

To sum up: Cook, Cool, Cook, Squash, Spice

Notes:

• Mango Powder: The first few times I made these, I didn't have any mango powder. I served the taters on a blob of mango chutney instead. This works pretty well, but I love the recipe so much I decided to try the mango powder and holy shit balls it is amazing. Well worth the few quid it cost me to get it delivered from Amazon. That mangoey tang pops on your tongue and just... uhhhhh so good. If you go the chutney route, using a decent one is important. Definitely not the runny bright orange one you sometimes get in your takeaway. We like this one:

It's slightly pricier than some of the other brands, but yummy enough to make it worth it. I wait for it to be on offer and stock up. The hotter one, (the one with chilli) is also delicious. Not fond of the one with pomegranate, but you do you.

• Chaat Masala: The friend who originally told me about this recipe told me to use chaat masala, but I didn't have any and couldn't easily get my hands on some. I used garam masala instead, because we always have some of that in the cupboard. It's worked just fine. If I do get hold of any chaat masala I will absolutely be trying that out. If it makes these taters any tastier I might rupture something, but it's a chance I'm willing to take.
• Do not neglect the squash! This step is IMPORTANT. It helps the potatoes to fry evenly, because they're all a similar depth. But, most importantly IMO, it really helps them pick up the spice mix and makes them extra tasty.
• To Fry, or to Differently Fry: Deep fry gives the best results and best texture, in my opinion. Good and crunchy on the outside, absolutely divine. It's less healthy, but if you're eating your bodyweight in potatoes I am going to assume that a low calorie option isn't high on your list of priorities. (No judgement; you are my people.) That said, I do not like deep frying, because all that hot oil freaks the shit out of me. Personally, I shallow fry. I recommend getting someone else to make this for you, and forcing them to use the most dangerous option while you relax in another room. Or possibly shout helpful instructions and encouragement from a safe distance. I don't get good results in the air fryer, but that might depend on your appliance. Maybe you will have better fortune than me.
• The story: I originally had this at a bloody gorgeous Indian restaurant in Birmingham. I mean bloody gorgeous. Not, "oh let's stop at that nice Indian place and grab a takeaway on the way home." I mean Michelin star level gorgeous. There was no way I could live the rest of my life without having this dish again, so I hunted around for a simple version of it I could have a crack at at home. In the restaurant, it was served on a bed of mango chutney with a kind of savoury rice pudding. I've not been able to replicate the whole dish, but I have been able to scratch my itch. Now, you may also get the itch, and scratch it to your hearts content, you grubby little potato goblin. (Again, no judgement, you are my people.)
• Why I love it: If you know me, you know I like really simple things, not too pricey, not too many ingredients, not too much skill required. This hits all the boxes. We also eat curry a lot, so this one gets a lot of mileage. And I love potatoes. Samwise Gamgee got nothing on me.
• Health! This isn't actually that unhealthy, especially if you're not deep frying or skipping the chilling part. Chilling and re-cooking carbs (like potatoes) is said to increase resistant starch, which makes the tater better for you. It's meant to feed gut bacteria and lower your glycaemic index. I find the easiest thing to do is just.... boil too many potatoes when I make dinner one night, and then I have plenty to make this the next day.
• Dietary notes: I believe this is vegetarian, vegan, and free of most main allergens. If you're looking for a low carb option, though, today is not your day.

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Thank you for reading!

The ha'penny that Vocal will toss in my hat for your eyeballs landing on this humble piece will be well-spent. I'm saving up for a Potato Butler to deep fry my taters for me (not a euphemism).