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Chotpoti | Chickpeas & Potatoes with Tamarind Sauce, Pastry & Eggs

Dina Begum
Servings

6

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

"Chotpoti is more about assembling than cooking. It’s a popular all-day snack, served warm from roadside food carts, cafés and restaurants. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity, as it packs a real punch in terms of flavour: there’s tanginess from the tamarind, heat from the ground and fresh chillies, plus grated hard-boiled egg, and crisp, crunchy pastry, cucumber and onions. Chotpoti makes a great starter or sharing dish for dinner parties, or you can simply enjoy it the traditional way, as an afternoon snack, followed by a cold glass of Lebur Shorbot (page 106)."




Excerpted with permission from Made in Bangladesh: Recipes & Stories from a Home Kitchen by Dina Begum. ©2023. Published by Hardie Grant.
Photo by Haarala Hamilton & Habibul Haque

Ingredients

  • 150 g (5 ½ oz) tamarind pulp
  • 400 ml (14 fl oz/1 ¾ cups) boiling water
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 2 potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp chaat masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 2 × 400 g (14 oz) tins of chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained
  • ½ red onion, finely chopped
  • ⅓ small cucumber, finely chopped
  • 1 large tomato, finely chopped
  • 4–6 green chillies, such as finger chillies, chopped
  • handful of coarsely crushed nimki (page 94)
  • 4 Tbsp freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)

Directions

  1. First, prepare the tamarind sauce by placing the tamarind pulp in a bowl and covering with the boiling water. Gently stir, then leave to sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, place the eggs and whole unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan, then cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a medium–high heat. Cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes can be easily pierced by a fork. Drain, then set aside to cool. Once cool, peel the potatoes and chop into small chunks, and peel and grate the hard-boiled eggs. Set aside.
  3. Place a large sieve (fine-mesh strainer) over a bowl and pour the tamarind mixture through it, using a spoon to press it through and extract as much of the tamarind as possible. Now stir in the sugar, chaat masala, cumin, chilli powder, salt and black pepper.
  4. To assemble your chotpoti, tip the chickpeas into a large dish. Spread out evenly, then add the potato, onion, cucumber and tomato. Pour over the tamarind sauce and add the chopped chillies, then carefully mix through.
  5. Divide the mixture into individual dishes or keep it in the large platter. Sprinkle over the grated eggs, crushed nimki and coriander, then serve immediately.