I have been an Instant Pot convert ever since purchasing one a few months ago, eagerly awaiting the publication of Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook – Modern and Classic Recipes for the Instant Pot since news broke that she was doing another cookbook. This recipe for Spicy Masala Fries was one of the first to jump out at me, with the recent rainy weather in Cape Town being the perfect opportunity to try something hot and spicy while glued to the second season of Good Girls on Netflix.
It took one or two tries to find my feet cooking with the Instant Pot and now I just love the convenience it brings. I am also quite proud that I can serve a pretty good bowl of dahl in about 15 minutes’ time from peeling the first onion. Not bad for when you get home tired and cold with hardly any energy to bother with getting a delicious dinner ready.
These fries use the steam function to cook the potatoes initially, and the potatoes steam for 3 minutes once the pot has reached the required temperature. Wait for them to cool down and dredge with a spice mix. I amended Madhur’s recipe and made up my own spice mix, also adding turmeric to give the fries their vibrant golden colour. Then you blast the fries in the oven at 250 degrees C until piping hot and crispy. Serve the Spicy Masala Fries with a garlicky, lime yoghurt, chopped coriander. That gives that utterly delicious combination of piping hot and ice cold. Love it!
These Instant Pot Spicy Masala Fries are so good on their own, but will be as good with a roast chicken, a homemade burger or serve them at your next weekend braai.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Spicy Masala Fries. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred.
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (more to taste)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp curry powder (mild or hot)
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- Dip
- 1/2 cup full cream yoghurt
- handful roughly chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
- juice of 1 lemon juice
- good pinch of salt
Instructions
- Peel to potatoes and keep in a bowl of water as you cut them
- Cut each potato in half lengthways and each half into three large fries
- Keep in the water
- Pour one cup water in the Instant Pot and set the trivet or steaming basket on top
- Place the potato pieces in the basket or on top of the trivet
- Close and seal the lid
- Select the STEAM setting, set to low pressure and set the time to 3 minutes
- When the 3 minutes are completed, press CANCEL and release the steam manually
- Remove the lid and lift the basket or trivet and let the potatoes cool completely
- Make the dip by mixing all the ingredients together, taste, adjust the seasoning if needed and place in the fridge
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees C
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl, drizzle with the oil and add all the spices
- Use your hands to coat the fries evenly
- Place the fries in a single layer on the sheet, drizzle with a bit more oil and place in the top third on the oven
- Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown, turn over and bake for another 10 minutes or so until golden brown and starting to crisp
- Serve immediately with the yoghurt dip
- Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey
A few more of my favourite potato recipes :
Duck Fat Potato Galette with Biltong Salt
Polenta Parmesan Roast Potatoes
Parsnip, Potato and Leek Gratin
