Side Dishes

4 recipes

Aloo Paratha

Whole-wheat (atta) flour is mixed with salt and just enough warm water to make a soft dough; rests for 20 minutes. Potatoes boil whole, peel hot, mash with cumin, garam masala, ginger, green chilli, amchoor and coriander. The dough divides into balls. Each ball flattens into a small disc; a heaped spoon of potato sits in the middle; the dough pleats up around the filling and pinches closed; flattens again carefully; rolls out gently to a 20 cm disc. Each cooks on a hot tawa or non-stick pan with ghee, 2 minutes per side, until crispy and gold.

1 hour 25 minutes Serves4

Boondi Raita

Plain yogurt whisks with a little water (or milk) to a smooth pourable raita texture. Ground roasted cumin, finely chopped mint, salt, sugar (a pinch, balances the sour), and Kashmiri red chilli powder mix in. The boondi (ready-made; sold at Pakistani / Indian shops) folds in 5-10 minutes before serving, too early and they go soggy. Garnished with a sprinkle of cumin and chilli.

10 minutes Serves4

Chana Chaat

Cooked chickpeas (tinned for speed, OR overnight-soaked and home-cooked for the best texture) toss with diced red onion, finely chopped tomato, small-diced boiled potato and chopped fresh coriander. The dressing: lemon juice, chaat masala (a salty-sour spice mix sold at Pakistani shops), roasted ground cumin, Kashmiri chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Hot chilli sauce and tamarind chutney drizzle on; the chaat tosses; crushed papri tops; eat immediately.

20 minutes Serves4

Kachumber

Vegetables dice into 5 mm cubes, uniform size matters for both look and dressing. Lime juice, salt, chaat masala and a finely-chopped chilli toss through. Coriander on top. Eat within an hour or the salad goes watery.

10 minutes Serves4