John Torode’s potato cakes with spicy chickpeas
Scrumptiously golden and so so addictive. John Torode’s in the kitchen giving new life to your store cupboard essentials. He’s making his crispy potato cakes with a side order of spicy chickpeas, so delicious and for just £1 a head, you’ll be snacking before the plates even hit the table.
John's potato cake with chickpea curry
Serves: 4
Prep time: overnightCook time: 2 hours
Ingredients
For the spiced chickpeas:
500g/1lb 2oz cooked chickpeas, cooking liquor reserved OR 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained
50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
Pinch salt
1 tsp chilli powder
75g piece root ginger, peeled and shredded
5 ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
Small handful coriander leaves
For the potato cakes:
4 large baked potatoes (you will need approx 660g mashed potato)
1 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
4 tsp garam masala
2 red chillies, seeds removed and finely diced
Small handful coriander, chopped
Flour, for shaping
Vegetable oil, for frying
Method
1. To make the spiced chickpeas, drain the chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquor.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan until hot then add the mustard seeds and salt and cook for a minute or so until the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the chilli powder, ginger, chickpeas and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down. Add 200ml/7fl oz of the reserved cooking liquor from the chickpeas (or water if using tinned chickpeas). Allow to cook, topping up with more cooking liquor or water if it becomes too dry.
3. For the potato cakes, remove the potato flesh from their skins. Allow to cool a little (if hot). Put two thirds of the potato flesh into one bowl and the other third into another bowl. Add the flour to the larger amount. To the smaller amount add the salt, garam masala, red chilli and coriander leaves. Mix both well.
4. Divide the flour and potato mix into 110g/4oz balls and flatten out into rounds using floured hands. Squeeze the seasoned mix together and make into 55g/2oz balls. Place a ball into the centre of each flattened round of potato and wrap around so that the ball is encased completely.
5. In a large frying pan, heat the vegetable oil until hot. Shallow fry the potato cakes on all sides until brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Finish the chickpeas with some coriander then serve with the potato cakes.
TIP: If using dried chickpeas, they should be soaked overnight in water, drained, covered with fresh water and cooked for two hours until tender then cooled in their cooking liquor.