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Batates sandwich
ساندوتش بطاطس (sandwich batates): Cairo's hot fries in baladi bread with tahini, pickles and chilli
Every foul and ta'meya shop in Cairo also sells sandwich batates, a pocket of baladi bread stuffed with hot, salty fries, and it is one of the cheapest and best late-night bites in the city. In Downtown, around Talaat Harb Square and along Champollion Street, the counters stay busy after midnight as cinema crowds and students order them by the handful, with garlicky tahini, crunchy pickled turnip and cucumber and a hit of chilli. Egyptian baladi bread is a wholemeal flatbread; wholemeal pitta is a good stand-in. It contains sesame and wheat. Chef's tip: salt the fries the moment they leave the oil, while they are still glistening, so it sticks.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fries
- 1 ¾ lb floury potatoespeeled
- 1 litre vegetable oil for deep-fryingabout
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
For the tahini sauce
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clovecrushed
- 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 pinch salt
To serve
- 3 ½ oz pickled turnips and cucumbers (torshi)sliced
- 1 green chilli (optional)thinly sliced
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut 1 ¾ lb floury potatoes into 1 cm thick fries, rinse in cold water to wash off the starch and dry them very thoroughly on a clean tea towel. Common mistake: frying damp potatoes; the oil spits and the fries come out limp.
8 minStep 2: Heat 1 litre vegetable oil for deep-frying in a deep, heavy pan to 325°F. Pour in no more than a third of the pan's depth, and check the heat with a thermometer or drop in a cube of bread: it should brown in about 60 seconds. Never leave the hot oil unattended.
5 minStep 3: Fry the fries in two batches for 5–6 minutes each, until soft but still pale. Lift out onto kitchen paper.
11 minStep 4: Meanwhile, whisk 4 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 garlic clove and 1 pinch salt; it will seize and thicken, then loosen it with 4 tbsp cold water a spoonful at a time until it pours like double cream.
3 minStep 5: Heat the oil to 375°F and fry the fries again in two batches for 2–3 minutes, until crisp and golden. Drain and toss at once with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground cumin.
5 minStep 6: Warm 4 baladi bread or wholemeal pitta in a dry pan, split it open into a pocket, smear the inside with tahini sauce, pack in the hot fries and add 3 ½ oz pickled turnips and cucumbers (torshi) and 1 green chilli. Finish with more tahini and eat while the fries are crisp.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 510 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does batates sandwich take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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