recipes
patatas bravas, three ways
Who doesn’t love potatoes! It’s probably the easiest to make, hardest to mess up and the best crowd pleaser.
And so this week, we bring you patatas bravas, spanish fried potatoes, in three new flavours inspired by our amma’s kitchen, Lebanon and Nigeria. Toss them all up at the end so them flavours be flowing and guess which flavour with every bite!
The easy thing is the steps are mostly the same for any of these because… the secret is always spice.
kilangu poriyal; potato fry
jaffna-inspired
Now we say Jaffna, but really it’s just how Amma makes it. She typically fries them in hot vegetable oil. But we can’t deal with oil splatters and washing it all up, so we throw them in the oven. It tastes the same (Amma might disagree but) and it’s healthier baking anyway!
batata harra; spicy potatoes
lebanese-inspired
We asked our Iranian homie what’s a signature potato dish, because really every cuisine SHOULD have some sort of fried potatoes. She told us Iranians very rarely eat potatoes and shared this Lebanese recipe.
coconut & tumeric roast potatoes
nigerian-inspired
We managed to get our hands on some fresh grated coconut and were convinced we’d find a potato-coconut concoction. Coconut and turmeric is often used in Nigerian cuisine, especially when making rice. We found a spin on potatoes on The Vegan Nigerian and decided to try it!
the stuff
3 potatoes
water
salt
the method
- Wash, peel and cut potatoes, cut the into pieces, however you like them.1
- Drop the potatoes in a saucepan and fill with cold water until fully covered. Add salt and parboil.2
- Line a roasting tray with baking sheet. When potatoes are “half-cooked”, drain them and throw them all onto the roasting tray.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- While the oven get’s heated, we do the fun bit, spicing them potatoes up three ways! Scroll for all 3 marinades!
- Once spiced, roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until they are golden and crispy.
- Toss them all up and MUNCH!
1 Wedges, cubes, strips, whatever floats your boat.
2 Now we don’t want these to be super soft, we want to par boil them, so they’re still a little hard, about 15 minutes if they’re medium sized potatoes. Use a fork to check.
kilangu poriyal
the stuff
the spice blend:
chilli powder (amma’s)
masala powder (amma’s)
salt & pepper
olive oil
Side note: proportions are up to taste / spice tolerance
the method
- Follow steps 1-4 under ‘the main steps’.
- Add olive oil to a small bowl.
- Dump the spices in and mix into a little paste.
- Drizzle the paste over a third of the potatoes and coat evenly.
batata harra
the stuff
the spice blend:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
4 dried red chillies, crushed (or red pepper flakes)
juice of 1 lime (or 1/2 lemon)
the method
- Follow steps 1-4 under ‘the main steps’.
- Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper over a third of the potatoes.
- Squeeze lime juice into a small bowl.
- Mix all the spices in.
- Reserve the mix for when after the potatoes are roasted.
- Once the potatoes are roasted, coat in the spice mix while still hot so those lemony garlicky juices can be absorbed.
coconut + turmeric roast potatoes
the stuff
the spice blend:
2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup grated coconut (or coconut flour)
Side note: Tomi uses coconut flour but we decided to try with grated coconut, in true Jaffna fashion.
the method
- Follow steps 1-4 under ‘the main steps’.
- Add olive oil to a small bowl.
- Dump the spices in and mix into a paste.
- Rub them all over a third of the potatoes.