Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Vegetarian

Chaat Fries

by

If you love chaat and you love fries, you will absolutely these chaat fries.

These fries are perfect for iftar – they’re cheesy, spicy, and incredibly addictive. Forget the samosas, everyone will go straight for these and ravage them in seconds.

I made my own oven-baked fries by using a method I learned off of Adam Ragusea’s youtube video where you boil your fries first and then bake at 450 for an hour. No frying required and you get the crispiest fries!

But if you’re pressed for time or want to take a short-cut, feel free to a buy a bag of frozen fries and season them a little bit with your favorite seasonings (I recommend garlic and onion powder, a bit of tandoori masala) – it will work just fine.

For these chaat fries to be extra delicious, I melted pepper-jack cheese over the fries and topped them with rajma chaat.

Rajma are basically red kidney beans and although they are perhaps less commonly used in chaat than chickpeas, I think they go really well on fries.

To make the rajma chaat, I sautéed some onions in ginger-garlic paste and added a couple of spices: turmeric, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and lots of chaat masala.

I added the layer of beans to the fries and then all the regular chaat fixings – tamarind chutney, cilantro chutney, onion, tomato, cilantro, yogurt, sev.

This is a fun appetizer where you can make everything from scratch if you’re up for it (homemade fries and chutneys, fresh red kidney beans) or everything store-bought if you want to spend a little less time in the kitchen (frozen fries, jarred chutneys, canned beans). Either way it will be delicious!

***Note – I didn’t take pictures of the step-by-step process because I made a Tik Tok video for it that I’ve uploaded to instagram as well. Follow me on Tik Tok: fatimasfabkitchen and IG: fatimasfabulouskitchen (video is in my highlights).

Print

Chaat Fries

loaded chaat fries – rajma chaat on top of cheesy fries

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 28 oz fries (store-bought or homemade)
  • 8 oz pepper-jack cheese (may substitute with mozzarella or cheddar)

Rajma Chaat

  • 1 12 oz can of red kidney beans (or 1 1/2 cup freshly boiled beans)
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tsp tomato paste (may also substitute 1 chopped tomato)
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp amchur
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • salt (to taste)
  • lime juice (to taste)

Chaat Fries Toppings (feel free to use whatever chutneys you'd like)

  • 1/2 small onion (diced)
  • 1 tomato (diced)
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro
  • 3 Tbsp tamarind chutney
  • 3 Tbsp cilantro chutney
  • 3 Tbsp yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp sev

Instructions

Rajma Chaat

  1. Drain and rinse your kidney beans. Add your oil to your pan and sautee your diced onion in ginger-garlic paste.

  2. Add your tomato paste and allow it to cook down. (You can also use a regular tomato instead.)

  3. Add your beans and spices. Add a little water to loosen it up. Cook for a few minutes and set aside.

Fries

  1. Season and cook your fries however you'd like. If you want to take a short-cut, feel free to use store-bought fries. (I made my own oven-baked fries using a method that requires you to boil the fries first and then bake at 450 for 45 minutes. The fries are wonderfully crispy!).

  2. Add your fries to a baking sheet and top with cheese. Melt in the oven using the broiler setting until cheese has melted.

Assembly

  1. Top the cheesy fries with cooked rajma beans. Then add your diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chutneys, yogurt, and sev. Fries are ready to serve!

    (*note – melt the cheese and top the fries a few minutes before serving so the cheese remains melted and hot when eating).

Vegetarian Ashak (Afghan Dumplings)

by

I’d like to make a disclaimer that this is not an authentic recipe – I am not Afghani, just an afghan-food lover. I hope you guys enjoy my version of this cherished dish!

leeks, scallions, and dill filling

Ashak and mantou are two of my favorite dishes to order at the Afghan restaurant. Not only are these dumplings beautiful in presentation but they are so lovely and comforting to eat – thus making them the perfect centerpiece on your iftar table.

Mantou dumplings are typically filled with ground lamb or beef and topped with a tomato and lentil sauce as well as some extra-virgin olive oil, garlic-yogurt, and dried mint. Ashak are filled with leeks and topped with a tomato-meat sauce. Both are different yet equally delicious!

I wanted to make a vegetarian version for my non-meat eating friends as well as some of us who want to cut down on the red-meat this Ramadan.

Vegetarian sauce: tomato, eggplant, roasted pepper and lentils
Mantou

Instead of ground beef or lamb, I simply added some finely chopped eggplant and roasted bell pepper to the tomato and lentil sauce giving it a sweet and flavorful taste.

For the filling I did a mix of leeks, scallions, and dill but you can do any combination of either.

I also decided to make the dough from scratch but please by all means save yourself the trouble and get yourself a one-dollar pack of wonton wrappers!

A lot of classic Ramadan foods, while delicious, are usually quite heavy. Ashak is a light version that will make your waistline and you happy.

Print

Vegetarian Ashak

A vegetarian version of the classic Afghan dish Ashak – a dumpling filled with leeks and topped with a tomato-lentil sauce.

Ingredients

  • 20-25 wonton wrappers may also use fresh dough

Dumpling Filling

  • 3 leeks (may add or substitute with scallions)
  • 1/4 cup dill optional, may simply substitute with more leeks/scallions
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sauce

  • 2 roma tomatoes
  • 1 cup eggplant (diced)
  • 3/4 cup onion
  • 1 roasted bell pepper optional
  • 2 Tbsp parsley
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1.5 tsp chana daal
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • salt to taste

Yogurt Sauce

  • 2/3 cup yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tsp dried mint

Instructions

Dumpling Filling

  1. Wash your leeks, scallions, and dills really well. Add to a food processor and chop until fine.

  2. In a pot or pan, add some extra virgin olive oil. Lightly sautee leek-mixture until soft and transculescent. Make sure to add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Vegetarian Tomato and Lentil Sauce

  1. Soak your channa daal (split pea lentils at least an hour before in some water). Note – if you have forgotten this step or don't have this ingredient, no worries. You can opt to leave it out all together.

  2. Chop up all your veggies- eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, roasted bell pepper.

  3. In a pan, add some olive oil. Sautee you eggplants and onions. Once translucent, add in your chopped tomatoes, lentils, and spices. Season with salt as you go. Add a cup of water, bring to a boil then a low simmer. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Garlic Yogurt Sauce

  1. Finely grate or mince the clove of garlic into the yogurt sauce. Add the dried mint. Combine and set aside.

Assembly

  1. Either using fresh dough or store-bought wonton wrappers, add a small amount of filling to the center of your wrapper. Press the corners together. Seal with water + cornstarch to prevent them from opening.

  2. If using fresh dough – boil and cook like ravioli. If using wonton wrappers, feel free to steam the dumplings until translucent.

  3. In your serving dish, add a layer of yogurt, then your dumplings, then your tomato-lentil sauce, and finally your yogurt sauce. Top with a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and paprika. Your ashak is ready to serve!

Bhindi Masala

by

Bhindi is the most frequently cooked vegetable curry in my household. Whether it’s paired with naan or paratha, simple white rice or pulao, daal or tempered yogurt – bhindi masala always has a place on the kitchen table.
I know some people complain about okra being slimy, but this method of cooking it – cutting it into ½ inch rounds and sauteeing it until crispy takes away the unpleasant slimy texture.
The onions and tomatoes give it extra body, sweetness, and acidity alike. For spices – I keep it simple with just a bit of turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, and coriander.
This is the kind of simple-everyday food that I grew up eating and it would be a terrible shame if I didn’t share the recipe here with you!

Print

Bhindi Masala

A simple yet delicious Indian okra curry made by sauteeing okra with onions, tomatoes, and spices

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp oil
  • 2 lbs okra (yields 8 cups)
  • 1 1/4 cup onion (diced, about 1 1/2 small onions)
  • 2 tomatoes
  • lime juice (to taste)

Spices

  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash any dirt off the okra. With a knife, remove the heads and the bottom stem of the okra. Cut into small 1/2 inch or so rounds. 

  2. Add your oil into a wide pot or pan. Add in your okra. Stir frequently. The okra will take time to cook. Do not add salt just yet. 

  3. After 15 minutes or so, the okra will start releasing its juices and start cooking down.  Add in the diced onions. 

  4. Once the onions are about to get translucent and the okra is caramelizing down, add in the salt. Then add in the tomatoes and spices. Allow the tomatoes to cook down completely. 

  5. Taste and adjust for seasonings. You may need to add more salt and/or spices and lime juice.  Serve with roti or rice.