Later came various recipes from other parts of India I couldn’t help but experiment with once I got a taste for cooking. Running through it all the while is the amazing food culture of Britain – a diverse mix of true classics like Cornish pasties and Yorkshire puddings, to dishes from international cuisines we’ve somehow adopted. There’s nothing quite like eating Taiwanese Bao in Kings Cross or Vietnamese Summer Rolls in Shoreditch for lunch and going home to true Gujarati daal-bhaat, shaak and rotli, followed by Mombasa-style mogo chips as a cheeky midnight snack.

See, I told you… totally spoilt.

These little packed potatoes are a take on the snacks loved by Asian people all over East Africa. Here, I’ve used British New Potatoes sandwiched together with a spicy chilli, coriander and lemon mixture. They’re deep fried, which is absolutely necessary for this recipe (please don’t try to bake them in the oven as the batter will just fall off).

I’m serving them with my favourite chutney – a blend of coriander, coconut and heaps of lemon, sugar and salt. It will set your taste buds alight, not with heat but sheer joy. Purists, omit the coriander as they do in Kenya but it’s so easy to get hold of here and really takes the flavours to the next level. I really recommend it.

Serve in paper cones or on a sharing platter as I’ve done here. I love food you can put into the middle of the table for everyone to dig in. A cold beer is the perfect pairing but then again, when isn’t it?

Mini Kenya-Style Packed Potatoes with Coconut and Coriander Chutney
Makes 18-20

Ingredients

1.5kg baby new potatoes, skin on, boiled and cooled
Sunflower oil, to deep fry

For the filling:
150g of the boiled potatoes, roughly mashed
100g finely-chopped coriander
1 ½ tbsp red Kashmiri chilli powder
1 large clove garlic
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tsp salt

For the batter:
100g plain flour
200g chickpea flour
1 tsp coarse semolina
Juice of one lemon
400ml cold sparkling water
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

For the coconut and coriander chutney:
150g coriander
4 green chillies
100g unsweetened desiccated coconut
100g Greek yohgurt
Juice and zest for 2 lemons
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

Method

1. To make the filling, combine all of the ingredients to make a sticky paste. If it doesn’t combine to make a paste, give it a very short pulse in a food processor.

2. Halve each of the cooked and cooled baby new potatoes and sandwich the two pieces together with the paste. Repeat for all of them and place them in the fridge while you make the batter.

3. To make the batter, combine all the dry ingredients and give them a quick whisk to remove any big lumps. Add the sparkling water and whisk to make a smooth batter.

4. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or wok until it reaches 180C or until a piece of bread turns brown in 60 seconds.

5. Take one of the potatoes, quickly dip it in the batter until it’s coated all over, then very gently place it in the oil. Repeat with a couple more, taking care not to overcrowd the pan as this will bring the temperature of the oil right down.

6. Allow to cook, turning in the oil until golden all over. Drain in a colander lined with paper towels. Repeat for all of the potatoes.

7. To make the chutney, combine the coriander, chillies, lemon juice and zest, salt, sugar and coconut in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the yoghurt and pulse quickly. Pour into a serving bowl.

8. Serve the packed potatoes alongside the coconut and coriander chutney, lemon wedges and cold beer. If you can get your hands on Tusker, go for that.

Love Sanjana

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With Indian street food vendors popping up all over the UK, selling everything from Kati Rolls to Pau Bhaji, and Masala Dosa to Samosas, we’re becoming accustomed to having delicious Indian street food on tap… and we want it fast. Not only that; but it better be damn perfect too. Believe it or not, but I’ve heard students in King’s Cross complain there’s far too much tadka on top of their dosa chutney and ajwain in their samosa pastry. We’ve become a nation of Indian street food connoisseurs and it’s bloody brilliant.

Re-creating street food classics like these Bombay Sandwiches at home is so simple. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a sandwich. But not just any sandwich. Traditional Bombay sandwiches consist of two pieces of bread with slices of boiled potato, mint and coriander chutney, onions, cucumber and tomatoes on sliced white bread, I’ve taken it a step further by adding a slice of flavour-packed toast slathered in green pistachio chutney to the middle, grilled paneer (because why the hell not), sliced gherkins (because I can’t deal with warm cucumbers, sorry) and then griddled the whole thing. It’s quite a mouthful but I reckon that’s the beauty of it.

I’ve never met another Indian who hasn’t used up leftover potato curry in toasted sandwiches the next day – it’s a no brainer. I like to think of it as the ultimate ‘Dad meal’. Quick, easy and perfect with green chutney on the inside or for dipping on the outside. Of course, a slice of cheese is optional but for me, that isn’t even worth thinking about.

Trust me when I tell you this is three layers of awesome you don’t want to miss out on.

Best Ever Bombay Sandwiches
Makes 2 sandwiches

6 slices bloomer bread – whole wheat or white
2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and sliced thinly
2 x 60g paneer slices, try to cut them wide
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 large pickled gherkins, thinly sliced
60g grated Cheddar
1 large avocado, sliced (optional)
Melted butter, for brushing the outsides of the bread

For the Coriander, Mint and Pistachio Chutney:

100g coriander
30g mint
2 small green chillies
6 shelled, unsalted pistachios
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
50ml groundnut oil

Method

1. Blitz all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender until smooth. Add a drop of water if necessary. The chutney should be the consistency of pesto.

2. Toast two slices of bread. Griddle the paneer on both sides.

3. Butter the outside of the bread and place buttered-side-down on a cold griddle. Spread some of the chutney on the top, lay over potato slices, red onions, tomatoes gherkins and a little bit of Cheddar.

4. Spread green chutney over both sides of one of the slices of toast. Place on top of your sandwich and repeat the layering process, this time adding the paneer. Take the final bread slice and spread green chutney on the inside and place chutney-side-down on the sandwich. Butter the outside of the top slice.

5. Repeat to make the other sandwich.

6. Griddle on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes.

Serve with crisps or masala chips, chai, limeade or beer and prepare to take the biggest bite of your life.

Love Sanjana

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