Coconut Samosa Potato Salad (from Salad Sam!)
Serves: 2 huge servings, 4 little servings
 
A hearty potato and pea salad dressed with warm curry dressing, garnished with cashews, and crushed toasted papadum (crunchy Indian lentil wafers) that’s reminiscent of samosas, the essential Indian deep fried stuffed pastry. Great any time of year but invigorating comfort food in cooler fall weather.
Ingredients
Salad:
  • 2 pounds Russet potatoes
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (half of a 14 ounce can)
  • 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 ½ cups lightly packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup lightly packed mint, roughly chopped
  • ⅔ cup roasted, unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
Dressing
  • 3 tablespoons mild flavored vegetable oil such as grapeseed
  • 6 curry leaves, roughly chopped (leave out if you can’t find them)
  • 4 teaspoons mild or hot curry powder
  • ⅓ cup lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Garnish
  • 2 cups gently crushed toasted papadam chips
  • ½ cup toasted, unsweetened coconut shreds (see East West Corn Salad, page XX, for tips on toasting coconut)
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
Instructions
  1. Either thoroughly scrub potatoes to remove any exterior dirt and carve out the eyes, or completely peel the potatoes. Dice into 1-inch cubes, transfer to a large pot and cover with 3 inches of water. Over high heat bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. About 2 minutes just before the potatoes seem done, stir in the peas and cook until bright green but firm. Drain and set aside the potatoes and peas to cool.
  2. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry leaves and fry for about 1 minute until crisp and turn off the heat. Stir in the curry powder to gently cook the spices in the oil and set aside to cool for 1 minute. Whisk in the remaining dressing ingredients.
  3. Transfer potatoes and peas to a large serving bowl and add the chickpeas, onion, cilantro, mint, and cashews. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Heap on the crushed papadum and coconut, and dust the top of the salad with garam masala. Serve away!
Recipe by Terry Hope Romero at http://veganlatina.com/coconut-samosa-potato-salad-from-salad-sam/