SERVES: 2 TO 4
TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR
A hearty potato and pea salad dressed with warm curry dressing and garnished with cashews and crushed toasted papadum (crunchy Indian lentil wafers), this recipe is reminiscent of samosas, the quintessential Indian deep-fried stuffed pastry. It’s great anytime of year but makes for especially invigorating comfort food in cooler fall weather.
POTATO SALAD
2 pounds russet potatoes
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup cooked chickpeas (half a 14-ounce can)
1 red onion, finely diced
1½ cups lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup lightly packed fresh mint, chopped
⅔ cup roasted, unsalted cashews, chopped
WARM CURRY DRESSING
3 tablespoons mild-flavored vegetable oil, such as grapeseed
6 curry leaves, roughly chopped (leave out if you can’t find them)
4 teaspoons mild or hot curry powder
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
SALAD GARNISH
2 cups gently crushed toasted papadum
½ cup toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes (see East-West Roasted Corn Salad, page 77, for tips on toasting coconut)
1 tablespoon garam masala
SWEET POTATO MASALA SALAD
Scrub the sweet potatoes, dice into bite-size pieces, boil until tender, and drain. Prepare the salad as directed.
1 Either thoroughly scrub the potatoes to remove any exterior dirt and carve out the eyes, or completely peel the potatoes. Dice into 1-inch cubes, transfer to a large pot, and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
2 About 2 minutes before the potatoes seem done, stir in the peas and cook until bright green but firm. Drain and set aside the potatoes and peas to cool.
3 Prepare the dressing: heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry leaves and fry for about 1 minute, until crisp, and turn off the heat. Stir in the curry powder to gently cook the spices in the oil and set aside to cool for 1 minute. Whisk in the lime juice, cayenne, and salt.
4 Transfer the potatoes and peas to a large serving bowl and add the chickpeas, onion, cilantro, mint, and cashews. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Heap on the crushed papadum and coconut and dust the top of the salad with garam masala. Serve away!
To roast, hold a raw papadum with long-handled metal tongs an inch or closer over a low flame until the surface bubbles and crisps, flipping and moving the papadum along the burner top until the papadum bubbles and warps to crisp perfection.