Aloo waffle

Gidda says: “Bird’s Eye potato waffles, fried eggs and tarka beans = winning on every front. Initially, as a child, my palate was weighted heavily in favour of ketchup, until I firmly stood in camp HP. In this recipe I have opted for a sweet and tangy tomato relish that unites the best of both. You can make this in pancake format if you don’t have a waffle iron but I wanted to create maximum nostalgia.

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g (14oz) mashed potato
Finely sliced spring onion (scallion)
1 heaped tsp ginger paste
½ tsp garlic paste
½ tsp chopped Indian green chilli
Generous pinch of chopped coriander (cilantro) – use the delicious stalks
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garam masala
2 free-range eggs
2 tbsp grated (shredded) Parmesan cheese
75g (2½oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Butter or oil, for greasing a waffle iron or pan
Kasundi tomato relish (see below), to serve

Method

Put the mashed potato and spring onion in a bowl, and add the ginger and garlic pastes, chilli, coriander, salt and garam masala. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk up the eggs with a fork until well mixed before adding to the potato mix along with the Parmesan.

Sift in the flour and mix again to make sure there are no lumps.

Preheat a waffle iron or a frying pan (skillet), then grease or lightly oil.

Pop 2 large spoonfuls into the middle of the waffle iron, close and cook for about 5–7 minutes until golden and hot through.

If using a pan, cook until small bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook the other side for a couple of minutes. Repeat for the other 3 waffles.

Serve with Kasundi tomato relish and/or a fried egg.

Kasundi tomato relish

Gidda says: “This is another one of those items that you should commit to making once a month to give you a mammoth flavour reward on days you’re not feeling like having a big cook. Use cherry tomatoes, overripe tomatoes, tomatoes in the reduced aisle at the supermarket and, if you want, you can use a can of chopped tomatoes instead. An instant level up on your cheese on toast, scrambled eggs, waffles, kebabs or simply on fresh bread.

Makes enough for 2 jam jars

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
1 large white onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tsp green chilli paste
3 garlic cloves
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
7 medium tomatoes or 500g (1lb 2oz) cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 tbsp muscovado (soft dark brown) sugar
100ml (scant ½ cup) vinegar, white or red
½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 tsp sea salt

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add all the seeds and allow them to start to sizzle in the oil before adding the onion, the ginger and chilli pastes and garlic. Cook for about 8–10 minutes, then stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric.

Add the tomatoes and increase the heat a little. Pop a lid on for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the sugar, vinegar, nigella seeds and salt and turn the heat to low. Stir well and let this cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered. The vinegar and sugar will reduce the tomatoes to create a delicious chutney.

Pour into sterilized jars or a clean airtight container and eat with everything.

Modern South Asian Kitchen: 3 South Asian-inspired weekend brunch recipes