Warmth and a touch of spice in an Indian snack that makes a great dinner too

Traditionally cooked as a snack, these Indian potato cakes are deliciously moreish and such a great vegan dinner. I love them with salad, or this cucumber dish, kachumber. They also make amazing burger patties. They freeze well, so it’s worth making double the batch. Filled with baked sweet potato, warming spices and coriander, these are a really nice change from the usual potato cakes.

Originally made with regular potatoes, I find sweet potatoes pair so well with the spices and are a bit lighter. Years ago I served these at a supper club I ran. I made hundreds of them over one weekend and they were such a hit. They are delicious little morsels just packed full of flavour.

I also make the traditional coriander chutney, bright green and zinging with flavour from chillies, plenty of fresh coriander, lemon juice and ginger. It reminds me of the addictive Yemenite hot sauce, zhug. It’s bright green when you make it first and darkens a little by the next day. You can make a big batch and swirl it through yoghurt. It’s very handy to have frozen in blocks for popping into curries and marinades.

The chutney and kachumber can be assembled once the potatoes are in the oven. I usually try to bake potatoes the day before I need them. I pop them in the oven alongside whatever I might be cooking that day. It’s not always possible to plan ahead and prepare two dinners at once, but small steps like this are very helpful and make cooking dinner the next day seem like a cinch. Also, the mystery of what’s for dinner is solved if there are baked potatoes ready.

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I love regular baked rooster potatoes too. No need to wrap them in unnecessary tinfoil, just give them a good wash and prick all over with a fork. I then thread them on to metal skewers. The metal conducts the heat through the potato, cooking the inside faster. Having three or four potatoes per skewer also means they’re easier and faster to handle and turn. Baked sweet potatoes are ideal for making into soups and salad bowls, so pop some in the oven next time you have it on.

Recipe: Sweet potato tikki with kachumber