If you love nachos and Indian flavours this recipe for Indian Inspired Nachos with Coriander Chutney and Tamarind will make you incredibly happy.
The recipe comes from Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family by Priya Krishna, an Indian-American food writer and it was the rather cheeky title that immediately jumped out at me as I read the New York Times Cooking newsletter. I absolutely love nachos, the texture, the mix of flavours and colours and combining it with Indian flavours seemed like one of the best ideas I have seen in while.
Here is Priya’s intro to the recipe “These vegetarian nachos take their cues from paapdi or papri chaat, the spicy, tangy and sweet Indian snack of fried dough wafers piled with chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, yogurt and various chutneys. This take starts with standard nacho elements: tortilla chips, black beans and a healthy amount of bubbly, melted cheese. But the classic chaat pairing of spicy and verdant cilantro chutney with sweet and sour tamarind sauce provides another level of brightness and complexity. Don’t skip the chhonk, a sauce made of melted ghee, cumin seeds and red chili powder that is drizzled over the top of the nachos. It provides a rich finish and even more crunch.”
I can only repeat that you must not skip the chhonk. It is utterly delicious (I mean what is more delicious than ghee) and it does add another rich, crunchy layer of flavour. This is the trick to keep up your sleeve to jazz up anything from the simplest dahl, roasted veggies (think a roasted head of cauliflower!) or a comforting bowl of soup. For a change, I did not deviate from the recipe and will make these Indian Inspired Nachos with Coriander Chutney and Tamarind exactly the same way again and again. This dish is colourful and flavourful family sharing food, packed with the best Indian flavours.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Indian Inspired Nachos with Coriander Chutney and Tamarind. If you’ve made the recipe do share it by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed.
Indian Inspired Nachos with Coriander Chutney and Tamarind
Ingredients
- FOR THE CORIANDER CHUTNEY:
- 80 g coriander roughly chopped
- 1 small green chili roughly chopped
- juice from 1 lime plus more as needed
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp salt plus more as needed
- FOR THE NACHOS:
- 1 x 400g tin black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 x 250g bag nacho chips preferably unsalted
- 1 medium red onion finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato seeded and finely chopped
- 400 g grated mature cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup store-bought tamarind sauce or 1/4 cup maple syrup whisked with 1 tbsp lime juice
- FOR THE CHHONK:
- ¼ cup ghee
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp chili flakes more to taste
- Greek yoghurt for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 220 degrees C
- Make the chutney:
- In a blender, combine the coriander, green chili, lime juice, sugar and salt and blend until smooth
- If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a bit of water
- Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice, if needed
- Set aside
- Assemble the nachos layers :
- In a medium bowl, lightly mash the beans with a fork (this is so they won’t roll off the chips), and season with some sea salt flakes
- Arrange half the chips in a 30cm long baking sheet, followed by half the beans, onions, tomatoes and cheese (in that order)
- Repeat to make a second layer
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes on the highest rack of the oven, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- While the nachos are in the oven, make the chhonk :
- Heat the ghee in a small pan
- Once melted, add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to sputter and brown, about 15 seconds
- Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chili flakes and set aside
- Evenly drizzle the coriander chutney and the tamarind sauce on top of the nachos, followed by the chhonk
- Add a few dollops of the Greek yoghurt
- Recipe by Priya Krishna
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Emma
May 22, 2020
This looks incredible!
heinstirred
May 22, 2020
Thanks Emma! It’s so good.