Classic recipes like this sweet, sour and savoury dish just demand a little bit of ghee butter – and the aroma that comes from the pan while everything is cooking is unbeatable.
If you want to keep this strictly vegetarian, however, use vegetable oil instead.
Ingredients
• 12 well-scrubbed new potatoes
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 long thin green chilli
• fresh coriander leaves
• 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger
• 12 seedless green grapes
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon ground asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 45g prepared pomegranate seeds
• 2 teaspoons pomegranate seed powder or 2 teaspoons sumac sea salt
Method
1 Get the potatoes cooking as soon as possible. Cut each potato into slices about 1cm thick, dropping the slices into the boiling water as you cut. Be careful that the water doesn’t splash you as you add the potatoes.
2 Recover the pan and return the water to the boil, then boil, uncovered, for 12–15 minutes until the slices are tender. Drain well and set aside.
3 Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. Put the raisins in the small bowl and cover with hot water. Remove the stalk from the green chilli, if necessary, then thinly slice the chilli.
4 Rinse and chop enough coriander leaves to make about 2 tablespoons. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Rinse the grapes.
5 Melt the ghee over a medium-high heat in the sauté pan. Add the asafoetida and stir until it sizzles. Add the cumin seeds and stir until they crackle. Add the green chilli and ginger and continue stirring for about 30 seconds to flavour the ghee.
6 Add the potatoes to the pan. Season with salt and stir the potatoes around the pan to coat them in ghee and spices. Add the red chilli powder and turmeric and continue stirring for 30 seconds to cook the spices. Watch closely so they do not burn.
7 Use a slotted spoon to transfer the raisins to the pan, then add about 2 tablespoons of their soaking liquid. Stir in the grapes and pomegranate seeds. Increase the heat to high and stir for 30 seconds–1 minute to soften the grapes.
8 Stir in the pomegranate powder and chopped coriander and leave for 30 seconds for the flavours to blend. Adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary and then serve.
Recipe courtesy of Atul Kochhar, extracted from 30 Minute Curries
