New potato & peanut salad

For me, salads should have some body and bite to them, and work well as a side or a starter. This recipe is just that, since although I am calling it a salad, you could equally class it as a sabji. The fresh herbs, spices, onions and peanuts all add to the layers of flavour, with the nuts also contributing crunch. To save time here, I’ve used ready roasted peanuts – the ones sold in the snack aisle, which are slightly salted, are fine to use. – Chetna Makan, author of Chetna’s 30 Minute Indian

SERVES 4

500g (1lb 2oz) new potatoes, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

FOR THE DRESSING

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

10 fresh curry leaves

50g (1&3/4 oz) roasted peanuts,

slightly crushed with a pestle and mortar

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chaat masala

handful of fresh coriander leaves

handful of fresh mint leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gas Mark 6.

Put the potato pieces in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil, then cook for 5 minutes. Drain.

Heat the oil in a baking tray in the oven for a minute. Add the drained potato to the hot oil, toss until well coated and roast for 12–15 minutes until cooked through and golden.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add the curry leaves and peanuts and cook over a medium to low heat for a minute. Then add the onion and green chilli and cook for 5 minutes until they have softened. Stir in the salt and chaat masala, then take the pan off the heat.

Add the roasted potatoes and herbs to the pan and mix together until well combined. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is an extract from Chetna’s 30 Minute Indian by Chetna Makan