Served as a side or a meal in itself, this spicy smashed potato dish is perfect for filling an existential void on a Sunday – or any other day. 

I’m not on TikTok much which might explain why a trending video from July is only reaching me now. It’s a recipe for crispy smashed potatoes that you serve with an avocado chimichurri. They look delicious in the video but really, what they made me crave (especially because it’s raining as I write this) is Sindhi aloo tuk.

The Sindhis make up an Indian community that dates back to the original inhabitants of ancient Sindh who are believed to have lived through the Indus civilisation around the 5000 BC. I won’t claim to know too much about Sindhis but I do admire them for two things – their business prowess and their aloo tuk – a version of smashed potatoes so delicious you’ll forget about Tiktok trends.

I mean, what is there not to love about spiced fried potatoes?

In Sindhi homes, aloo tuk is often made as a side to another curry or vegetarian preparation. But, you can cook these at any time of the day and I guarantee they will be gobbled up. I love serving them with a coriander and mint chutney – an Indiany chimichurri – that comes together in minutes. A perfect dish as we head into barbecue season.

SINDHI ALOO TUK

• 750 gm baby potatoes
• 2 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder¼ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp dry mango (amchur) powder
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp rock salt (replace with normal salt if you can’t find any)
• Oil for frying

CORIANDER MINT CHUTNEY

• 1 bunch coriander
• 1/2 bunch mint (half the size of your coriander bunch. Use the leaves only as mint stems make the chutney bitter)
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• 1-2 green chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt to taste

Mix all the aloo tuk spices and the rock salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add water, salt and the baby potatoes. Boil them until they are ¾ of the way cooked.

While the potatoes are boiling, make your chutney. Pop all the chutney ingredients into a blender. Add 3-4 tbsp of water and blend. You want a medium-thick chutney.

Drain the boiled potatoes. While they are still warm, use a flat spatula and press lightly to smash the potatoes.

Heat oil over a medium flame in a shallow frying pan. Add the potatoes in batches and fry on each side for 10 minutes. They are already cooked but you’re looking for a crispy coating all over. This will take time, so make sure not to stir or shake the pan. As they begin to turn golden brown drain them onto some kitchen paper.

Place in a bowl and sprinkle over the spice mix. Mix well making sure to the spices coat the crisp edges. If you prefer more spice, add more chilli powder.

Serve warm as a snack with the coriander and mint chutney or even with some dal and rice.

Note: The traditional version involves frying the potatoes twice but in the absence of a deep fryer, I prefer boiling them the first time as frying whole baby potatoes requires a lot of oil!