Sweet ‘Aloo’ Chaat Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Chaat Mela

Recipe by Suman Shah of Fork on a Road
Serves 2–4.

Chaat Mela adds a party-in-your-mouth finish to the simplest foods — here, plain roasted sweet potatoes become something much more festive with a sprinkling of this exciting blend, lime juice, and the freshness of green chile and cilantro.

Use this recipe as a template for giving the same treatment to other roasted vegetables, such as potatoes, cauliflower, or mushrooms. And, if you’re up for pulling out all the street-food stops, you can deep-fry the vegetables instead of roasting them.

For the oven fries:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon oil of choice
Sea salt, to taste

For finishing:
1-inch piece fresh green chile, such as jalapeño, minced
½ lime, juice
1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro
1–2 teaspoons Chaat Mela, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375° F and set out a rimmed sheet.

Put the sweet potato cubes on the baking sheet, drizzle on the oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt (use restraint, remember that the Chaat Mela is salty). Use your hands to toss the potatoes with the oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer and roast them until the center is tender and the outside is crispy with golden edges, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the fresh chile over the potatoes and drizzle on the lime juice. Toss to mix, then transfer the potatoes to a serving platter. Garnish with the cilantro and dust liberally with Chaat Mela. Serve with more Chaat Mela on the side.

Suman’s recipes draw inspiration from her Indian roots and a life of almost twenty years in New England. When not hosting cooking classes, she’s busy developing her Market Day Meal Kits for local farmers markets. Suman shares cooking explorations on her blog Fork on a Road, drawing inspiration from different corners of the world. As an instinctive cook, she makes familiar foods in unexpected ways, making them easily adaptable and accessible for a busy life. Find her on Instagram @forkonaroad and learn more about her offerings at www.forkonaroad.com