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Viazi karai
Viazi karai: Mombasa turmeric-battered potatoes with tamarind sauce
Come late afternoon, the karai (a deep iron wok) is bubbling on street corners in Mombasa's Old Town and along Biashara Street, and vendors fish out golden potato chunks in a crisp, yellow gram-flour coat. Inside, the potato is soft and fluffy; outside, the batter tastes of garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli. They come in a paper cone with a sweet-sour tamarind sauce (ukwaju) and a squeeze of lime, or tucked into a bread roll. Overboiling the potatoes is the commonest slip: they fall apart in the batter and drink oil. Chef's tip: dip only a few pieces at a time and let the batter drip for a second before frying, so the coat stays thin and crisp.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 1 ¾ lb waxy or all-purpose potatoespeeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the batter
- 4 oz gram flour (besan)
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp chilli powderless for children
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 tsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ cup cold waterabout
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
For the tamarind sauce
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb waxy or all-purpose potatoes in a pan of cold water with half of the ¾ tsp salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then simmer until a knife goes in with slight resistance; they should hold their shape.
10 minStep 2: Drain and spread out on a tray to steam dry and cool for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: For the sauce, simmer 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tbsp sugar, ½ cup water and ¼ tsp chilli flakes in a small pan over a low heat, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened. Cool.
4 minStep 4: For the batter, whisk 4 oz gram flour (besan), 2 tbsp rice flour, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp chilli powder, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 1 tbsp lemon juice and the rest of the ¾ tsp salt in a bowl. Add ¾ cup cold water gradually, whisking, until it is like thick double cream and coats a spoon.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a karai, wok or deep pan to 350°F, or until a drop of batter rises and sizzles at once. Fill no more than one-third full and never leave it unattended.
6 minStep 6: Dip a few potato pieces into the batter, let the excess drip off and lower them carefully into the oil. Fry, turning, until crisp and deep golden all over.
4 minStep 7: Lift out onto kitchen paper. Fry the rest in batches, letting the oil come back to heat between batches.
Step 8: Serve hot with the tamarind sauce and lime wedges if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does viazi karai take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of waxy or all-purpose potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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