Lachhedar Aloo - Tandoori Fare for the vegans

After my ode to butter chicken in my last post, I drift further up north and into the Pakistani territory to bring out some cuisine from there. My grandfather migrated to India after partition and left his house in Sialkot to establish himself in Delhi.

On my different visits to UK and US, one thing that came out very strongly was that a lot of Restaurants serving Indian Cuisine ( they stated so on their billboards and at the entrance - Finest Indian Cuisine) was run by either Bangladeshi's or Pakistani's. So you found eateries with names like 'Jewel of India', 'Taj Mahal', 'Delhi Durbar' owned and operated by people who had never been to the places their restaurants stated to be from.
Quite frankly, I have nothing against them. Overseas, we are all the same, and believe you me I found them extremely hospitable even at their homes, even though I was from another country.
The cuisine from Pakistan is rich in its own right. The different regions still preserve their culinary heritage. One such region in Balochistan.
Balochistan, is the rugged western frontier province in Pakistan. It happens to be the largest province in the country and is named after the Baloch which are Iranian people. Quetta is its capital. Quetta, a name in pashto language translated means 'Fort'. The region is known for its exotic fare of kebabs. Though most if its cuisine is mutton based, I managed to find a dish to excite the vegans.

Lachhedar Aloo

Ingredients:

5 Potato slices disjoined,
1 tsp Amchoor powder
1 Tsp Kasoori Methi
2 Tsp Garam Masala powder
2 Tsp Cumin Powder (Zeera)
3 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Oil
Salt
1 tsp Red chilli powder
2 tsp Cheese grated
1 tsp Hung curd
1 tsp Roasted chana powder

Method:

1. Clean and peel potatoes.Slice disjoined. ( Parboil if you are going to grill in Microwave. Takes a long time otherwise)
2. Prepare marination with grated cheese, hung curd, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, kasoori methi powder, amchoor powder, jeera powder, roasted chana powder, red chilli powder, oil and salt.
3. Add the potatoes to the marinade. Keep chilled for an hour.
4. Take a skewer and skewer the marinated potato one by one and roast it in the tandoor till it turns golden brown.
5. Serve hot with mint chutney.

Posted in: Appetizer,Kabab,Pakistani Cuisine,Potato,Tandoori