Guest Post: Baked Potato Wedges with Chat Masala

Greetings from Singapore! I'm having a great time here, of which you'll see photographic evidence of soon enough 8). And also while I am here, I'm continuing to be amazed at the incredible people I've been lucky enough to connect with through the blogging world. Both in Singapore and all across the world. Today I'm excited to continue the series of posts from honored guests with a special dish from Kulsum of Journey Kitchen.

You may remember Kulsum from my own guest post on her site back in June. While she was busy focusing on final exams (as any good student would ^_^), I was happy to step in with some sweet and tangy rhubarb and raspberry curd French macarons. Despite being incredibly busy still herself, Kulsum was generous enough to drop by with these absolutely mouthwatering roasted potatoes with an Indian twist. Please be sure to stop by her blog for other temptations including cheesecake brownie ice cream and lentil-stuffed samosas!

I’m not only a fan of Xiaolu's fabulous blog but also fan of the person she is. I'm yet to "meet" a blogger as honest, friendly and kind spirited as her. So you can imagine how great it feels to be guest posting on 6 Bittersweets. Thank you Xiaolu!

You might already know that Indians eat their food with hands instead of fancy cutlery. Eating food with hands might be looked down upon in some cultures, but to me, there is nothing more satisfying than rolling up homemade Indian chapati and dipping it into spicy curry with bare hands. Or eating soft, white basmati rice covered in gravy and licking off every last bit of grain.

Maybe it's being Indian, that my favorite food group is finger foods. Food that can be just picked with hands conjures up scenes of snack times with my sisters and family, sitting in a circle talking about our day at school, giggling away on little random happenings of the day and going over the options for dinner.

I served these chat masala spiced potato wedges with kebab sliders with coriander mint mayo. But I have made them twice ever since just on their own as finger food. They are addictive, lightly spicy and a burst of flavors in every bite.

Chat masala is a tangy Indian spice mix extensively used for snacks, fruits, yogurt, and drinks and sometimes in curries. It's not only used as a flavoring but also used to garnish or add finishing touches to dishes. Apart from spices like cardamom, red chilies, black pepper and cloves, what makes this spice mix stand apart is the use of black salt (Kala namak) and dry mango powder (aamchur powder). The black salt has a characteristically pungent smell and taste which adds a unique depth of flavor whereas the dry mango powder gives it an acidic and tart flavor.

The salty, tangy, hot and sour characteristics of this spice mix provide a melody of flavors in each bite, leaving a tingling effect on your tongue. The finely chopped coriander leaves perk up and add a refreshing bite to these wedges. Besides, there is something about green herbs on your food, that just screams eat me!

Baked Potato Wedges with Chat Masala [Printable Recipe]
Serves 2-3

1/2 kg (about 2 lb. 3 oz.) potatoes
2 Tbsp chat masala*
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp coriander (cilantro) leaves, very finely chopped
Salt to taste

Notes

*/ Chat masala is mildly hot to if you can’t take the heat reduce to 1 tbsp.
** If you like your potato wedges to be much thicker then par boil them in boiling water for 5 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).

Wash and peel (if you have a fussy eater who won’t eat the skin of course) the potatoes and cut them into wedges and place in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, salt and chat masala.

Add the oil mixture to the potatoes and mix well.

If you have time let the potatoes sit in the spicy oil for half an hour.

Tip the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 25 -30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Rotate them half way through to get them golden on both sides.

Once out of the oven add the coriander leaves and mix well.

Serve hot with coriander mint mayo.

The Only Soup I Need This Summer (Mango Crab Gazpacho)

The longer I blog, the more I recognize that "foodies" come in all varieties. This is quite a relief to me as I used to think I was missing some gene prevalent among many foodies that programs a love of dining out. Yes I'll plan a few restaurants to hit if I'm going on vacation, but most days I honestly prefer food I've cooked or baked with my own hands over anything served to me by a waiter.

Lord knows this isn't because I fancy my cooking skills better than a restaurant chef's. There's simply something magical about the process of turning simple ingredients into a flavorful, satisfying meal that I'm addicted to. Plus as a health-conscious pescatarian (who eats no meat except seafood), I'm a bit wary of restaurant dishes drowned in butter or containing hidden meat products like chicken broth.

That being said, I'm not immune to the charms of particularly excellent restaurant food. Today's mango crab gazpacho is actually inspired by a soup I sampled my first week working in D.C. It's been four years since that meal and I can honestly say I've been dreaming of recreating that gazpacho every summer since. Well I've finally done it, and while I can't guarantee it's as good as Ceiba's, it's every bit as refreshing and addictive as I remember. In fact I've already decided...this is the only soup I'll need for the rest of the summer =D.

Mango Crab Gazpacho Soup [Printable Recipe]
Adapted from mango gazpacho on Allrecipes
Serves 4 to 6

XIAOLU'S NOTES: For my vegetarian/vegan friends, feel free to omit the crab entirely or replace with some other mildly flavored protein. The flavor profile won't be the same, but it'll still be a wonderfully refreshing summer soup =D.

2 cups diced fresh mango, divided
1 1/4 cups orange juice
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced [optional]
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro OR basil, plus larger leaves to garnish
1 to 2 slices wheat bread, well-toasted and crusts removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 to 1 1/2 cups jumbo lump crab, picked over

Reserve 1/3 cup each diced cucumber and bell pepper for garnish. Process ingredients from mango through cilantro in a food processor or blender until smooth. Tear toasted bread into chunks, add to food processor, and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be made several hours before serving.)

When ready to serve, toss reserved cucumber, bell pepper, and cilantro leaves together with the crab. Pour chilled gazpacho into serving bowls or cups, then divide the topping evenly among the bowls. Direct each diner to stir the topping into the soup before eating.